The Growth of the Village Hidden in the Leaves
by RedHairing326
Summary: Tsuande's little sister, Senju Mito, trained under Jiraiya. Right along side Namikaze Minato and Hyuga Hiashi. When Mito dies on a mission, the future of Konoha would be unlike any of the other villages. All the while a man seeks to unite the Elemental nations, by any means necessary. [OC, original plot, starts in Minato's genin days]
1. New Beginnings

(Last edited on 11-15-15)

The Growth of the Village Hidden in the Leaves

A Naruto Fanfiction

**Prologue**

Tsunade ran up the stairs leading to the reception area outside the Hokage's office. She ran past a chuunin on her way, almost crashing into him as they rounded the final corner to her destination.

"Slow down!" the chuunin yelled, glaring back at her.

She stopped, turned and looked the man in the eye. They stared for a moment, before Tsunade stuck out her tongue, then ran up to the receptionist. The chuunin just stared a small hole in her back before he left.

Tsunade smirked to herself as she walked up to the secretary's desk, making sure her face was blank, or at least less mischievous, before the secretary looked up. When she did, it was to the face of the wonderful granddaughter of The First Hokage.

"Here to see your uncle I assume?"

"Right again," Tsunade replied. The old woman had been the secretary for her grandfather as well, she knew what everyone wanted, even when it wasn't obvious.

"Go on in. I'm sure he could use a few minutes with some family." She said. Tsunade just nodded. Tobirama wasn't around the Senju compound very often, he spent many nights in the ANBU barracks only to come right back after spending the whole previous day in the office.

Tsunade walked up to the big double doors and knocked, before opening one and announcing herself.

"Uncle Tobirama," she said. The room was dim in the gentle darkness before dawn.  
Tobirama was already looking up at her when she walked through the doors.

"You're here awfully early for a genin. I wish more people were as motivated as you," the Hokage said.

Tsunade heard the compliment, but didn't feel it. Senju Tobirama's face never showed any expression, never happiness, sadness, or anything else. Though she supposed that he had a thinking expression, so there was that at least.

"Thank you uncle, but if you came home more often you would see that I've been waking up this early for weeks now."

"What brings you here?" he asked. Always straight to the point.

"I didn't actually wake up early this morning, I've been up all night. I'm here to let you know that baby Mito was born today, so I'm now a genin _and_ a big sister," Tsunade proclaimed proudly.

"Was she now," He stated. Tsunade frowned internally, this was her uncle's attempts at making her think she was actually telling him something he didn't already know. Tobirama knew of everything that went on in the village, to the point where it made Hashirama look like he didn't have a clue. Though there were times when he probably hadn't.

"I'm guessing you got a _report_," she said, tasting the word. She never wanted to be Hokage, she could hardly deal with the paperwork of being a Genin. Reading medical books didn't count, that was fun.

"I did, it said she had red hair. Are you disappointed?" He asked.

"No," Tsunade answered simply. "I like being the only one with blonde hair besides the Yamanaka's."

"Red hair is rare as well." Why was he trying to push her buttons?

"Don't you even want to see her? Grandpa would have loved to," she said quieter. The Hokage heard easily though.

"I am busy with the village with his loss. Losing Madara was also not a good thing, the other villages may take this as an opportunity to strike. It is important to stay vigilant," he explained. Tsunade rolled her eyes,

"It's not like the village is going to burn to a cinder if you take a few hours off to see your new niece." Tobirama's gaze did not falter, if anything, he only looked more resolved.

"The village might seem invincible to you, but it is still young and weak. The only reason we still have this peace is because of diligence." She didn't answer, they'd had this conversation before. She spoke after a moment of thinking, which her uncle patiently allowed.

"All you've done is work your entire life," she said with some edge in her voice. But it faded with her next words. "Don't you ever just want to stop and enjoy life?" Tobirama looked at her for a moment before turning and looking out the windows towards the horizon.

"Everyone is sleeping without a care or a worry, only the shinobi wonder if tomorrow might be their last."

"And what's wrong with that?" Tsunade said shortly, she could tell this was the beginning of a lecture.

"Nothing. That is why I and the shinobi of this village must work without breaks, so that the people can live without fear, and so that even the shinobi families can live with the reassurance that the walls of Konoha keep them safe. Though of course there are more problems than just an assault. That's why the Uchiha Police Force patrols the village as well. Though there are still many problems that need to be fixed, and also problems that must be prevented before they have a chance to happen."

Tsunade didn't make eye contact, she knew he was right.

"I will go meet Mito, she is a new Senju. The village is just like Mito, it is young, and must be cared for with a large amount of attention. Though I would have to say that the village is at least able to walk on its own."

Tsunade smiled softly, these were pretty much the most loving words you would get out of her stoic uncle, and they meant a lot. She wondered if maybe he didn't know children that well, considering that they got into more trouble when they could walk, not less. He might not come though if she pointed it out.

The morning light shone through the upper windows of the top floor of the Hokage Tower. Tobirama stared through the morning sun as the light broke over the trees and onto the tops of the tallest of the village buildings. Then he stood, and made a hand signal that Tsunade didn't recognize.

An ANBU appeared to the side. Tsunade didn't jump, only felt the resentment towards Sarutobi Sensei for not teaching her the shunshin. She had the control and she had the reserves. "Watch the office, notify me if there's the need," Tobirama ordered.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," The ANBU said before vanishing as quickly as he had come.

"Let's go," Tobirama said, walking past her.

* * *

They arrived at the nursery windows after what must have been an hour's walk. She swore, the older the ninja the slower they were. But as the thought passed her mind, she realized the sense it made. We still could have just roof jumped over here in a few minutes.

Tobirama stopped to converse with several of the shinobi who walked the streets, both off duty and on. He also stopped and talked to a few shop owners as they opened up their stores. Tobirama was not an approachable man, nor a conversationalist. He was just making the rounds of the Hokage, as her grandfather used to say.

When they arrived in the maternity ward, she turned to her uncle to point out Mito through the window, but he was already looking at her intently. "She certainly has the Uzumaki hair, even this soon after birth."

"Just like grandma Mito's."

"Hm," he acknowledged. And after a moment of silence. "I'm interested to see what kind of woman she grows up to be."

"Those are quite the emotional words I'm hearing, don't let your ANBU hear or they'll think you're going soft." He turned and looked gently at her.

"I hope she grows through childhood innocent of the evils of this world. So that she can live a life of happiness and with friends." He turned and looked back through the nursery window. "Such peace cannot last forever, but it can be prolonged as much as possible. That is the job of the adults of the village to ensure that the children can live loving lives free of fear. You were innocent as a young child, and though you are not yet an adult, you have begun to change from one of the ones being protected, to one of the protectors." Tsunade look through the glass, and felt the love and emotion in her chest at the sight of the little bundle with the red hair and almost equally red face.

"I will protect the village with you uncle, I haven't forgotten the stories of before Konoha was built. It would be nice if we can get even closer to peace, so we don't have to worry about what's just outside the wall."

"Your grandfather said nearly the same thing once, and would be proud to hear it from you now." Tsunade looked over and smiled at Tobirama, and he smiled back. It looked like someone had placed a joke upon his face. Her smiled increased at the sight of his, which quickly faded.

"I should get back to the office, please relay my congratulations to your parents." Tsunade watched him slowly walk down the hall, he would only be the Hokage for a few more days until her sensei took over, her uncle was probably worried it would fall apart his first day of retirement.

"What a stubborn old man," she said under her breath before he was out of sight, to ensure he had heard.

* * *

**Chapter 1 – New Beginnings**

Tsunade and Orochimaru sat in a tree on the edge of training ground 3, watching their teammate test his first potential genin squad. The children were bickering about the test with Jiraiya, even though he was getting more heated than any of the kids.

One of the children wasn't speaking at all though. He was a quiet Hyūga boy, the heir of the clan in fact.

Then there were the other two.

Tsunade let out an exasperated sigh.

"Don't tell me you were expecting anything less than this?" Orochimaru asked sardonically.

Tsunade didn't answer right away. "No, I figured this is how it would go; I just hoped she would be able to get along with her teammates better.

"There don't appear to be any issues between Mito and the Hyūga," he quipped.

This time she did turn to give her pale snake like teammate a glare. "She's already getting along better with the golden boy just by arguing with Jiraiya. The Hyūga are always cold, it probably wouldn't be a bad thing if their relationship stayed the way it is now."

Mito kept glancing in Tsunade's direction, not at her, but she had the area narrowed down.

"You know that's not what Sensei would say, so you should also know what Jiraiya will do."

"The oaf will probably just throw them in a room together and tell them to get along," She said. "Mito is stubborn just like that other Uzumaki girl, Kushina."

"Though not quite as boisterous I've noticed."

"And thank god for that," she answered back, the heat draining from her voice.

"I think your little sister has noticed you, that's impressive for someone so young," Orochimaru said, with a hint of curiosity.

Tsunade huffed. "She only does that to me for now. I can never manage to escape her notice; the result would be the same if I was taking stealth seriously."

"I wonder if it is your relationship as sisters that causes this or something related to her more prominent Uzumaki blood." Orochimaru queried.

Tsunade didn't answer. Orochimaru was asking himself, not her. He did that sometimes. Instead, she commented, "I see her every day, and it's hardly the first time she's met Jiraiya, but seeing them together as ninja… It just makes them all look so small."

"They are only 12, and they've barely hit puberty if at all. They will grow before you know it," Orochimaru said.

"That'll be a long way off, hopefully as long as possible," Tsunade said, remembering a conversation she'd had long ago with her uncle. "She's growing into a protector of the village, they all are; and with Jiraiya as their teacher, I'm sure they'll all be strong in body and spirit."

"Frankly I'm surprised Jiraiya is the first of us to take on a student, though it does seem like the best fit now that I see it," Orochimaru observed.

"He'll probably just give them a common enemy and tell them to work together," she said sarcastically.

"Those are D-rank missions. He's going to have to be a little more creative than that."

Tsunade noticed Jiraiya's stance change. He raised his hand, demanding silence from his students. Then he turned towards the two observers hidden in the trees and raised his voice again. "Why don't you just come down here and tell your kid sister to quit arguing, you're more of a distraction over there anyway. You too Orochimaru."

Tsunade and Orochimaru exchanged a glance, before vaulting forward into the clearing, landing softly next to their teammate.

"You're Orochimaru and Tsunade of the Sannin!" the boy with the golden hair yelled.

"Duh..." Mito said, rolling her eyes away from the group, suddenly paying way less attention.

"Be nice Mito, this is your new team. Just because you know Jiraiya doesn't mean you shouldn't respect him as your Sensei and leader."

"It is an honor to meet again Orochimaru-sama, Tsunade-sama," Hiashi said, giving a measured bow.

"You're the heir of the Hyūga clan, I hope you have the patience to put up with my sister. She can be stubborn and a handful," Tsunade said, speaking the words to the Hyūga boy but shooting them at Mito.

The blonde piped in. "It's really an honor to meet the two of you. I've of course read a lot about the Sannin, and Jiraiya has told me a bunch of stories." His eyes flickered quickly to her chest at those words and quickly back to her face, but it was already too late for Jiraiya.

"Oh has he now," she said, giving the boy known as Minato Namikaze a jagged smile carved from stone.

Jiraiya began to walk around and introduce his students, conveniently placing them between himself and Tsunade. He spoke with a nervous chuckle, "Ha-ha well now let's be done with the past and start with the present. Let me introduce everyone." He motioned to each of his Genin. "This is Mito Senju, Minato Namikaze, and Hiashi Hyūga." Hiashi and Minato gave polite bows, though Mito seemed to have forgotten.

"Jiraiya is making us do this test to become Genin that only two of us can pass," She blurted, like she was giving away one of his secrets.

"We call it the bell test, and we took it as well before we became Genin under Hiruzen. The rules are that you must get the bells in order to pass the test. If you don't have a bell by the end of the time limit, you fail, and if you fail you have to repeat your last year at the academy," Tsunade explained to the three, knowing she was only repeating what Jiraiya had already told them.

All three of the kids looked like she had slapped them. Mito exclaimed first. "He didn't say we'd have to go back to the academy! I'd rather do his test than yours."

Tsunade sighed, and behind her Orochimaru gave an amused hiss.

"You aren't deliberately going easy on them are you? You know this is an important test," Tsunade said, pointing a finger at Jiraiya.

His hands came up in defense with the speed of lightning. "No of course not, I was getting to it if they would have just listened."

Tsunade had seen the gears start spinning in Minato's head right after she had made her accusation. Now his face was clear, as if he'd had an epiphany. He opened his mouth to speak. Tsunade switched from pointing at Jiraiya to point at Minato and said, "Silence boy, if you know the answer stay quiet so the other two can figure it out too." His mouth snapped shut.

If the Hyūga and Mito both agreed to Minato's attempts to work as a team, this test would technically already be over, but they were both strong headed and competitive, and that was the main obstacle to this test.

Tsunade turned and started walking away from the clearing, she waved back at them and said, "Good luck, you kids will need it." She stopped and looked back at Mito. "If you're unsure Mito, just think, 'What would uncle Tobirama do?'"

Orochimaru stood for a second before speaking, "We failed on our first attempt, and you already have one teammate that knows the answer. Will that be the reason you pass or the reason you fail I wonder." He turned and leapt into the trees that Tsunade had already disappeared into.

Tsunade didn't speak when Orochimaru caught up to her on the way through the trees. "I would have thought that you would want to observe your family member take the test. Are you not concerned in the slightest that she will fail?"

Tsunade thought her words over carefully. "She will be a great member of the team once she realizes that the true answer to the test is team work. Given what Jiraiya says about Minato, I'm sure he'll come up with something to bring the other two together.

* * *

This day wasn't really a surprise to Sarutobi Hiruzen, well, to be more accurate, what was happening with Jiraiya's team wasn't a surprise. It was, however, a little surprising that it hadn't happened sooner, or that it came from the Genin before Jiraiya himself.

He smoked his pipe, not really listening to the complaints of endlessly doing chores for the people of Konoha when they were supposed to be protecting the village from evil and such. It was the same as any Genin team; they usually just didn't speak their mind in front of the Kage of their Village. He supposed he had Jiraiya to thank for this then.

When they finally stopped talking due to Jiraiya's reprobation, Hiruzen only sat and looked at the three. He emptied his pipe and set it to the side. "Do you know why we make Genin do D-rank missions, how has Jiraiya explained it to you?"

He could see the words that shot through his long time student's head: A TEST! Even years after they stopped being on the same team, the relationship between the two was undoubtedly still sensei and student. Jiraiya didn't speak.

A hand shot up in the air, "He said it was because we need to have a presence within the village so that the villagers can see us as people, so that they do not become afraid of the ninja who protect them," spoke an eager Minato, who quickly put his hand back down. Hiashi and Mito were giving him a funny look.

"That is correct," said the Hokage, "however, it is not the only reason." The children perked up, though the Hyūga by a much smaller margin than the other two. "The bell test is something that my Sensei, Senju Tobirama, created. I used it with my students and Jiraiya has used it with you. Some of the teams don't see teamwork until they begin their first missions. Now imagine you didn't learn this valuable lesson like the other teams. If that had been real combat against an opponent you couldn't hope to match individually, you would be dead," the words were cold and honest.

"Minato began to raise his hand again, but he lowered it quickly and asked, "May I speak sir?"

"You may," Hiruzen answered.

So in addition to what Jiraiya told us, D-ranks are also important because they bring a team together, so that we can learn to trust one another.

"The D-ranks are there to start the trust," Hiruzen said. "When the day finally comes when one of you saves the life of a teammate, that is when you will truly begin to trust one another. If your teamwork is good enough, you could even follow in the steps of your sensei and his team. He could see their spirits raise at that. "Do you think you are ready to act as a team in a combat situation, where if Jiraiya is not able to guide you, you will be able to act together to achieve what you cannot alone?"

Mito, Minato, and Hiashi all bowed and replied in unison, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen smiled. "Then I think that you are ready for your first C-rank mission." The team looked like they wanted to jump for joy, Jiraiya included. Mito was visibly restraining herself. "I will admit that I had a mission prepared for you in advance, though I was expecting the request to come from your sensei before you."

Jiraiya had a look of abashed accomplishment. "You kids think he's complimenting you, but he's just pointing out that we did everything wrong, and he expected it." Minato's smile fell, and then it was back as he sheepishly rubbed the back of this head. Mito and Hiashi were less remorseful, they were glad to have a break from dreadful D-ranks.

"What will we be doing?" Mito asked and without pause, "will we be guarding a caravan or hunting down bandits? You do those things on C-ranks right?"

Hiruzen held up a hand and she paused. "I would prefer not to send you on a combat mission your first time out of the village. Instead this will be more of an exploration."

Mito's face was confused, she apparently hadn't considered this and didn't know whether she should start feeling disappointed or excited. "Where will-,"

"You're talking too much, just let him speak," Jiraiya said, removing his hand that had stopped her words from tumbling out.

Hiruzen nodded in thanks and continued. "You will be going south to the land of Noodles to investigate a recent claim of an opening that has been discovered to what seems to be an underground structure, one that appears to have great historical value." He had spoken to Jiraiya about his suspicions of the temple years before, and it looked like the Toad Sage had recalled the conversation.

"Is there anything that you want us to look for specifically?" Hiashi asked.

Hiruzen shook his head, and began preparing his pipe. "The late Lord First claimed at one time to have discovered a temple at this location, and said to have found a tree that resonated with him that grew over a bottomless pit. It was similar to the living wood that he could create, and yet quite different." He paused to enjoy the taste as he exhaled the smoke. "When I passed through the land I went to the location that he described but I could not locate the temple. As I had no leads I had no reason to send a team, and could not afford to send one of the Hyūga. I would have to say though that finding a lost temple originally located by the First Hokage would look good for all of you. I am interested in what this temple is. He retrieved a scroll from his desk and proffered it to Jiraiya.

Mito looked excited at the chance for glory, or it may be because of the connection with her grandfather.

Jiraiya stepped forward and accepted the scroll, placing it in a pouch beneath his vest. He turned to his students, "We will be out the gates by 0500, prepare the necessary equipment for a week-long trip and supplies that might be needed for exploring caves."

Minato nodded, the list already forming in his head. "We should take some flashlights in case there isn't lighting, we should take some rope for, well, we can do tree and water walking now, so maybe we don't need rope, but you never know, maybe we should just in case-."

"Well I'm going home," Mito exclaimed, moving towards the door. "I don't want to sit here listening to the things I need instead of just getting them ready.

"We haven't been dismissed yet," Jiraiya said sternly. Mito turned, a light tint of red on her cheeks.

Hiruzen nodded, "You are dismissed, good luck on your mission." Team 7 bowed respectfully and left his office.

They would become strong one day and ensure that the village was kept safe and peaceful, he could see it. Minato was a bright young lad who had a good heart and a swift mind. Mito had the determination and the powerful blood of the Senju that ensured she would never be weak. Hiashi was, well, he was calm and rational, quiet and considerate, though probably not of the feelings of others. All those traits were good, they were just typical of a Hyūga, and he would make his clan proud.

He looked at the paperwork that still needed to sorting before the end of the day, and for what was probably the thousandth time, considered burning just a few layers to lighten the load.

* * *

Team 7 entered a port town the day after leaving the village. Minato was grateful that they were able to walk again after the constant run. Jiraiya looked like he had just stepped out of the Gates of Konoha. Mito and Hiashi looked better than they probably felt. Who was he kidding? Hiashi certainly would try and hide his fatigue.

The town of Horonobi in the country of the Land of Waves was a prosperous place, it acted as the only port between the Land of Noodles and the Land of Waves, as well as the occasional commerce from Water Country or Kirigakure. It showed in the fine clothes that the people wore, and the bright colors of a village with a constant flow of money.

It was difficult for merchants and travelers to traverse the mountains that connected the Land of Tea and the Land of Noodles to the mainland, and Horonobi was the most convenient place to exchange goods.

There were rope lights running between every building. In the afternoon the town was busy with carts moving cargo and workers yelling of food or services. Many of the sailors who came to port stayed the night, so there were many bars and taverns, gambling halls and whorehouses. Overall it wasn't the best place for children.

Mito was looking around at everything excitedly, but there was always one more exciting thing to look at. Minato was pretty sure she didn't completely look before finding something new and shiny. It was like they hadn't just ran for longer than they ever had training.

Hiashi looked around as well, as curiously as a Hyūga could, no, would look.

Minato noticed the pulse of veins over Hiashi's temples, indicating that he had activated his Byakugan. Mito noticed as well, and diverted her attention from the wonders of the town to Hiashi. "You know Hiashi, I've always wondered something about the Byakugan, and so would you mind answering a question?"

Hiashi narrowed his eyes meaninglessly as his Byakugan was still active. "If you cannot resist."

"I already know that you have 360 degrees of vision and can see people's chakra in their body and through walls and stuff." She said in a breath. "So what I was wondering is if you can see through people's clothes as well?"

Hiashi stumbled just a little bit, then he straitened and said, "The Byakugan can see the chakra that runs through your chakra pathways, as well as what's in the air. It also allows the user to see through multiple layers of an object, or person… But only the chakra is clear, everything else is kind of foggy.

"But you can see well enough to see a shuriken or senbon needle coming at you from behind."

"That is true," Hiashi stated, he didn't elaborate. He was looking to the side now, facing away from them. The veins over his temples were no longer dilated.

"That's enough squabbling kids, "Jiraiya said, not loud enough for other people to be able to hear. "It's time we go find a ship." The genin followed obediently.

Minato woke up to the call proclaiming the sight of land. He came up to the deck from their lodging and observed the land in the distance, it would probably be a decent wait still. He turned to see Mito and Hiashi on the deck as well. Jiraiya walked up to them, having already been on last watch. We'll be there pretty soon now kiddies. I want to get to land before the break of dawn.

It didn't seem like they were going fast enough for that, but Minato stayed silent.

Mito didn't. She groaned and mumbled something about getting up so early when they could have just waited for the ship to dock. Hiashi must have said something to get her out of her bed. Waking her for her turn on watch was a huge pain, one which he wasn't looking forward to in the future.

In the silence, Minato tried to think of something to say to wake everyone up. Then he thought of it. "Was there a reason why we walked right through town and are taking a ship with other people? I remember you saying that we should try to make sure the enemy can't predict our route or destination.

"People don't really like ninja as much now that the war is over and we aren't fighting for the obvious cause," Jiraiya said, "In times of peace ninja are used mostly completely for guard missions or missions that the public don't know about. Not to say that everything that is hidden from them is bad, but when they don't know, their minds fill in the unknown with fear."

Minato gazed into the distance and thought quietly for once.

"Even if it doesn't make a big difference, if the civilians think we aren't a threat, they won't be as afraid of us." Jiraiya turned and looked toward shore. "The report says that the opening is suspected to be eight to ten miles from the village, and just out of sight of the coast."

"That's quite the large area to find a hidden entrance," Hiashi said.

"It is. How large is the range of your vision? Will your Byakugan be able to see something like that?"

Hiashi nodded. "I can see nearly 400 feet in all directions, I should be able to find an opening, but I don't know if I'll be able to keep my Byakugan active for more than an hour without a small break."

Jiraiya nodded, "Well let's head out then."

"Now?" Minato asked. "Why not wait until we get to shore?"

"Weren't you the one who was just reminding me that we shouldn't be predictable?" Jiraiya asked rhetorically as he vaulted over the side of the ship. Hiashi jumped after him.

Minato looked over the edge for a second before looking back at Mito, who was still sleeping against the railing. He shook her shoulder and said loud enough for her not to ignore, "we have to run to land, let's go."

He jumped over the railing without giving her time to complain. He heard the splash as she landed on the water behind them.

They ran to catch up to Jiraiya and Hiashi, neither of which had waited.

* * *

Author's Note:

So the first big thing for you to know about this story, and which you should already have realized, is that it is AU. It only seems a little AU right now but it will change by quiet a bit. Some things will remain canon, not always because I want them too, but because that's just how things flow. But overall this will be an original story that majorly diverts from the canon story.

I'm very serious about making sure that everything in my story is intact, but don't care as much about canon. If you notice that I saw one thing that is counter by another thing I say, please let me know. If you notice something is happening differently than it did in canon, keep it to yourself or the reviews. The origin of many things remain the same from before this chapter. Hashirama and Madara still fought to the death, they still created the villages together. All that stuff is still the same. It is from this point on that much of it will change.

I go through the story from the beginning every so often while I'm still under 50k words. Mostly because I am becoming more skilled at not only structuring the story and writing skills in general. I'll probably make it a habit to repeated edit that last 50k words I've written, not so much for the earlier chapters after that.

This story DOES have a general plot created for it, so while I'm thinking up alot as I go along, everything is very loosely following a plan I made a while ago. It starts with what you just finished reading and goes for probably another 30-50 years. This story won't hit 1million words, that's all I can really promise when it comes to length. If I had to guess it'll probably end at around 600k based off the ideas I have. There will be time skips of several years, but not many. You will witness the birth of Kakashi's generation and Naruto's, maybe one more after that.

One last thing. The good guys don't always win.


	2. Discoveries

(Last Edited 11-15-15)

The Growth of the Village Hidden in the Leaves

A Naruto Fanfiction

**Chapter 2 – Discoveries**

Hiashi was in the center of Team 7's formation, with Jiraiya taking lead and Mito and Minato covering the rear flanks. They ran through the forest searching for the underground temple with Hiashi's Byakugan. He could just see the beach on the edge of his vision. They had been searching well into the afternoon and so far there was no sign of an underground structure.

"So this is going to get more exciting than just following you two around right?" Mito complained loudly.

Hiashi's left eye twitched. That was way too loud for a ninja on a mission to be speaking, and it's disrespectful to Jiraiya-sama. But what was more irritating was the fact their leader didn't seem to care. In fact, his mind seemed to be somewhere else entirely.

"Have you seen anything yet?" Minato asked, and not in too loud a voice either. Hiashi was glad that at least one of his teammates was taking this mission seriously.

"Nothing yet, the only man made materials are all on the surface, and don't seem to be related to the temple."

"Are there any trails from the nearby town that might lead to the site?" Minato asked. Hiashi took a moment to search the current area for such.

"There probably won't be, considering the fact that we are looking for a hidden entrance and all." But then he did notice a trail, one that broke off from the beach and started heading into the forest, then out the range of his Byakugan further inland. Damn Minato.

"There actually does seem to be a light trail starting at the beach that heads deeper into the forest. We will be seeing it in a moment," Hiashi stated.

"Well this will be easy if that trail leads right to the site. Others may be around as well, we will stay off the trail and head in the same direction. Stay alert," Jiraiya spoke with authority.

Hiashi then remembered why his father had arranged to have him placed on this team. Yes, the Sannin was strange and aloof, almost similar to Mito. Hiashi thought that Jiraiya was probably once the same as Mito. He was one of the strongest ninja in the village, as well as one of the three Legendary Sannin and the Toad Sage. Even if he was odd, he was still highly respected both in and out of the village.

They leapt from tree to tree until Hiashi discovered the entrance to a small cave leading to a larger cavern. It was not connected to the trails so he motioned towards it and Jiraiya veered in that direction. They landed softly in front of the rock wall. Hiashi walked forward and pointed out the alcove that hid the entrance. It was small, much too small for Jiraiya, maybe even too small for the genin.

"It opens up to a larger area 5 meters in, but there aren't any other ways to get in except this one. After that there is a large cave with a door, but I can't see past that."

Jiraiya looked surprised. "Something that is blocking the Byakugan eh? It may be some kind of seal." He stopped speaking to himself and turn back to Hiashi. "Do you notice any danger?"

"I don't believe so, but I don't see any seals around. But they may also be hidden from my eyes," Hiashi answered. He wouldn't even consider it normally, but it was unsettling not being able to see past those doors

Jiraiya stepped back and performed a series of hand signs in a blur, then slammed his hand into the ground with noticeable strength and a cloud of smoke blocked out their vision momentarily. When it cleared the three looked down on a toad the size of Hiashi's head. "All right, I'm going to go in first with Gamahiku, wait until I send him back out with the all clear." The mentioned toad raised his hand in greeting, but didn't speak like Hiashi had heard Jiraiya's toads could do.

This was the first time he had seen the technique before, though he suspected that he was the only one in the group not to have seen a Toad from Mount Myōboku.

Jiraiya bent down next to Gamahiku and held a hand sign for a moment, before being eaten in a single bite by the toad.

Hiashi was shocked, he looked at the toad, and at his teammates. They were looking at him and grinning. He realized they were making fun of him and smoothed his face. They had been waiting for this and he had probably had a stupid expression on his face. Dishonorable.

The Toad hopped into the cave, and Hiashi resisted asking any questions. He did not need to shame himself further to these two.

"You don't have anything to say? Or ask maybe?" Mito asked with a cheshire grin stretched across her face.

Minato rested a hand on her shoulder, "Come on now, there's no need to tease him."

Hiashi's dignity rankled, and Namikaze's pity didn't help matters. Why wasn't Jiraiya back yet? Was it safe or not, because he'd rather be in the cave either way right now.

* * *

Jiraiya exited Gamahiku's belly onto his hands and knees into a small area of the cave, though not as small as the portion Gamahiku had just taken him through.

He almost wished that they could have gone to the main chamber where he had room to stand first, but he needed to look for seals along the way to make sure his cute little genin didn't get hurt. Especially Mito, she was the most likely to get hurt and he feared Tsunade most of all, he would rather take the wrath of the Hyūga than Tsunade Senju.

Finding nothing of concern, he moved forward into the antechamber. He stood and surveyed the room, there were no signs of seals nor any traces of chakra that he could feel. He sat down, closed his eyes, and concentrated.

He began to harness the natural energy in the air and filtered it carefully into his body, careful not to let the potent energy overwhelm him. He could feel it flowing through and around him, feeling everything that was connected to the natural energy, which was everything. His students and Gamahiku were the brightest points around himself, but he could feel the all of the little lights that were the civilians in the nearby town, as well as the much dimmer lives of the plants and animals in between.

But he could feel nothing beyond the door, now that he was aware of the gap, it felt like a hole in the sea of stars that he could feel around him.

Jiraiya released sage mode, waiting for the intoxicating energy to leave his body before standing again. He would have to open the door before he called in his students.

The style of the wall was like one of the great Cathedrals in the Capital of Fire Country, with spikes and statues of people he didn't know adorning them. But unlike the figures of a holy religion, these were warriors and scholars alike, all standing guard over this ancient place.

The warriors were not dressed like Ninja, and not quite like Samurai. The metal armor was large and unwieldy, the man inside would have to be very strong to be able to fight in such equipment. Jiraiya guessed that the poor effectiveness is why its type was no longer worn by soldiers.

After close inspection, Jiraiya decided the only way to get in was the door, but he had shadow clones for that. He put his hands in the cross seal and a Shadow Clone appeared in a puff of smoke. Jiraiya stepped back as the clone stepped forward to open the door. It was heavy and an ordinary man wouldn't have the strength to open it, but Jiraiya was no ordinary man.

It opened slowly and with a loud groan. If someone was inside they would surely know that someone else had arrived.

As soon as the door opened far enough so that Jiraiya felt the rush of air, he felt it. A reserve of natural energy unlike any source he had felt away from Mount Myōboku. He wasn't even in sage mode and he could feel the overbearing energy. He detected something else about it but couldn't put his finger on what. It almost had a different flavor than the natural energy he had been accustomed to before this.

No one was visible and the area was mostly empty. The floor was large and open, the area looked like the inside of a large dome, and in the middle of the room was a dais. Behind and above that was a tree that filled the entire rear of the structure, the walls around it stretched outward to accommodate the branches. A series of small glowing crystals adorned the upper dome, just enough to illuminate the mosaics of vast intricacy that lined the wall. He turned and motioned to Gamahiku to notify the genin.

Jiraiya looked upon the wall, he wasn't one for art, but it was certainly the work of a master, or what must have been several he corrected as he noticed the scale of it all. He examined the area for seals, and still found none. How had these walls blocked both the Byakugan and natural energy?

He could hear the genin walking up to him chatting, Hiashi the first to speak. "It is all quite exquisite. How old do you think this place is Jiraiya-sama?"

"At least as old as the First Hokage, but there's a lot that I don't recognize, such as the statues outside the door." Jiraiya noticed the look of surprise as soon as Hiashi activated his Byakugan. "What is it?"

"There is a man in the temple with us near the back, behind the…" Hiashi seemed to gape for a moment "There's so much chakra in this room and in that tree, I think it may be more than one hundred times thicker here, it's like a fog to my eyes.

Jiraiya thought about this. If the tree was something similar to Senju Hashirama's, then it probably had its own chakra system. It was possible it was leaking it out into the air, condensing within this relatively small area. The fact that Hiashi could see it meant it wasn't only natural energy.

"I can feel it too," Mito muttered. "It's like I'm breathing in a cloud of pure honey." She inhaled a deep breath, as much as she could.

They all looked at her oddly, making it apparent that none of them felt the same. But those questions could wait. "Describe this man to me," Jiraiya said.

"He is of a large build, almost as large as yourself. His clothes are plain cloth with no protection of any kind nor any weapons." Hiashi focused. "But he doesn't look weak, and I can't tell because of the tree but I think he has a lot of chakra. He also appears to be sleeping."

This surprised Jiraiya, the door hadn't been quiet. He decided it would be best to attempt and approach the man in Ernest.

Jiraiya strode forward and gestured Find Cover and Observe to his genin. Mito and Minato crept upon the dais and peeked over the edge, while Hiashi just crouched and watched with his bloodline ability. Jiraiya thought that he would have to give them some more lessons in finding better hiding places.

He rounded the tree until he saw the man lying on the roots of the tree with his head against the trunk.

He had a tan shirt and blue pants on, and was unarmed as Hiashi had said. He made sure both his hands were clearly visible and spoke loud enough not to be ignored but not so loud as to startle the man.

"Hello there."

He waited for a response, but there wasn't one. Jiraiya frowned, there was no way this man was still genuinely sleeping if he was any kind of ninja. He walked up to the man cautiously, but feeling more like he was walking beneath the gaze of a giant beast. But the presence was not the man's, it was the tree's.

He stopped only a few steps away from the man and tree. He could see the man still breathing but… Jiraiya sucked in a breath. There was a layer of dust on the man's skin, enough to indicate it hadn't settled over the course of a nap. Jiraiya didn't let his guard down, this could very well be a trap, even if it was an especially strange one. Those were the best kind, he reminded himself.

Jiraiya quickly walked forward and performed the hand signs for a jutsu that would wake anyone not in a coma, or unconscious due to some other life threatening condition. He jumped back, not taking a combat stance, but still prepared.

Nothing happened for a few moments, but then the man's eyelids began to move lightly. They opened and he slowly sat up, bringing a hand to his head. He coughed, having disrupted the dust upon himself. He looked around and noticed Jiraiya, who had taken to looking like he was just walking by.

"What, what's going on?" The orange haired man asked.

His hair was long, impossibly long, with a beard to match. Jiraiya couldn't immediately realize the man's questions while himself questioning the meaning of such ridiculous hair. The orange haired man had noticed it as well. The pile of hair that he had been laying on. Jiraiya thought of the best way to offer a kunai to cut it.

The man reached up and grabbed his hair in a bundle with one hand. And his other hand moved past it, and the hair was cut. Jiraiya didn't see a blade or even a quick movement. The action was repeated with the long beard.

"I found you sleeping here, so I woke you up. My name is Jiraiya, what's yours?" Jiraiya asked. He didn't know who this man was, but it certainly seemed like a good idea to tread lightly.

The orange haired man stood and looked around, stopping to focus on the genin. His eyes came into the light as he stared where they could not be seen, but he knew they were there. His eyes were a slightly darker shade of orange than his hair.

"My name is…," he paused, and looked away from the dais and back towards Jiraiya with a curious look on his face. "I cannot remember, it has been a long time."

The man placed his head in his hands again for a moment and then stiffened. So did Jiraiya as well as the genin. When he stood normally again he spoke. "I remember Jugo. That is my name." He said it like he had decided, not remembered.

Jiraiya heard someone inhale deeply where his genin were supposed to be hiding. Jugo again looked towards the spot.

"Why do you hide? Only hide if you mean me harm," he spoke calmly and soothingly.

There was no movement, until Jiraiya broke the silence.

"Come on out, he obviously knows you're here."

* * *

Mito was the first to stand and reveal herself, even though the man, Jugo, had known right away that they were there. He stood tall and looked as strong as Jiraiya himself, maybe even stronger.

She looked to the pile of hair around the man. It wasn't the same color as Mito's, but she found herself envious of it.

Hiashi and Minato stood slowly after a moment, standing next to Mito on the dais. Hiashi's Byakugan was active and he was alert. They walked down towards Jiraiya but didn't let their guard down in front of the large man.

Mito could feel the power radiating from this tree. It was amazing and invigorating, she felt like she could do anything. She stared at it, not looking away from the same point until she arrived next to her sensei.

Jiraiya continued his conversation casually. "May I ask why you were sleeping in here?"

Jugo looked around the room and answered, "I don't know why I'm here, but I'm sure that I was trapped here by the tree." Mito noticed the clarity returning to his eyes.

The look on Jiraiya's face was openly curious. "Your hair was quite long, do you understand how long you must have slept? How is that possible?"

Jugo looked back to his hair, then back to Jiraiya. "It appears to have been many years," he spoke slowly. "But I had no one in the world, so I do not regret the lost time."

"I mean how are you still alive? You got your share of sleep, but what about food, not to mention aging, unless you were extremely young when you came in here."

Jugo motioned behind him, "This tree is intelligent, but it does not speak in words, only feelings. Its only desire is to grow, physically and mentally. It learned from me, and in exchange my life was sustained during the duration.

Mito, Minato, and Hiashi stood behind and to the sides of Jiraiya. Mito stepped forward and spoke, "Did you learn anything from it?" She asked.

Jugo looked to her and spoke like recalling a memory. "I learned some, but mostly it kept me content so it could learn from me. I did learn of a man though, one who you remind the tree of. It is curious."

Jiraiya did not interrupt, observing the interaction.

"Curious about me?" Mito asked, sounding surprised. "I was wondering about it. Why does it make the air like honey, or grow over that hole?"

There was no visible hole beneath the tree. Jiraiya turned towards Hiashi and he told his leader what he had already told his teammates. "There is a hole beneath the tree that goes straight down, it is carved through rocks that do not look like the rest of this temple, and it goes deeper than my Byakugan can see."

Jugo continued, "The tree protects us from what is below, its chakra is its strongest final defense. The evil that lurks below the tree cannot enter the air that is full of the tree's chakra."

"What's down there," Hiashi asked. He had an ominous feeling of looking down into the depths of the sea, where predators surely lurked unseen.

"I do not know," Jugo said, shaking his head lightly, "The tree only gives the feeling of evil, or something that would prevent all further growth."

Jiraiya looked surprised at this. "Has it spoken any words of warning, or given any instruction?"

Once again Jugo shook his head no before stopping suddenly. He turned to look upon the tree before stepping forward and laying his hand upon the roots. His eyes closed and took on a look of serenity.

The genin and Jiraiya only watched for the few moments that Jugo was unresponsive. His eyes snapped open suddenly like he had been about to doze off. He turned back to team 7, "It has assured me that as long as growth of the light continues, the darkness will stand a lesser chance should it ever break free."

Mito stared at the tree, feeling the pull, the desire to touch it. With every step forward she took the feeling and the strength of the air got stronger. That was when she first realized she was walking forward away from her team and towards Jugo and the tree.

Jiraiya reached out to grab Mito before he saw the look in her eyes. It wasn't a genjutsu, he would have felt it. Instead he followed her, as did the rest of the team, as she approached the tree and the potential enemy.

Mito walked up by Jugo and laid against the tree, hugging the root. When her body made contact she could hear the singing feelings within the tree. They poked at her and examined her. She could feel it in her mind as they felt each other; could feel the very being of the tree, like its own little universe. She could feel what the tree felt, could feel the roots that splayed out from the tree.

Mito felt her first trace of fear in the situation as she looked down to see the depths that the roots had traveled down the hole. From within the being of the tree it felt like an infinite distance, but near the end, though the roots still emitted such potent chakra, there was a terrible feeling of darkness that suppressed the chakra with ease, but could not break through it to destroy the roots themselves.

With what felt like a forceful yank on her consciousness, she was pulled back from the tree by Jiraiya. She looked around in a daze, everyone looking at her in concern, including the man with the pretty hair. She felt a happiness around her that wasn't broken by the looks of the others.

"She looks like she's coming around now." That was Minato's voice, but she couldn't see his lips moving with her vision still being hazy. She looked to the side and saw the figure of Jiraiya supporting her. "I think she might need to sleep it off."

"It is a pleasant experience, and it might not be uncommon to fall into an eternal slumber against the tree, but I don't think others will be as fortunate as myself to survive so long," Jugo warned. He looked back to the tree. "I think I must leave this place as well if I wish to stay awake longer, I do not know when the next person will come along and wake me instead of seeking to harm me."

"I think that we should leave as well. It has been quite the long trip, and it would be better to get a good rest on the ground instead of just the short ones we had at sea." Jiraiya spoke, and they all left the tree, leaving it alone once again after so long in the back of the temple. Jiraiya closed the door and left a seal that would alert him if it was ever broken.

With an earth jutsu to make a tunnel to the outside, and another to seal it again. Once outside the cave the Konoha ninja turn to Jugo, who looked around curiously. "The forest looks different than when I saw it last, I suppose many of the small trees from then are the large ones now." He turned back to the ninja. "But I think we will have to go our separate ways from here."

With a polite farewell team 7 headed towards the town.

* * *

Kousuke Hajima sat facing the front door from the back of a tea shop. The people on the street were busy moving cargo to and from the port. He had sat in this tea shop and so far there were no signs of any Konoha ninja, he was beginning to think that maybe his employer had been wrong about Konoha nin coming to the only port town this side of the Land of Noodles.

Hajima hadn't wanted to take this job, the man who had hired him had been powerful and Hajima was lucky to have left the encounter with his life. He was sure the man was the longest standing S-rank missing nin in the bingo books.

He had been told to keep an eye out for any Konoha nin. If he saw any he was to channel chakra into the seal he had been given, the one now burnt into the skin of his left arm.

He had tried to escape the land of noodles by sea after the man known as Kakuzu had let him go, but the seal had burnt more fiercely the further he went from the village. Hajima was eventually forced to jump out of the boat and run all the way back to the village to stop the seal from driving him mad, or possibly killing him.

Hajima almost missed them as he took a drink and looked away from the door, but at the last moment he noticed the man who was known to be one of the strongest ninja in Konoha. You didn't have to be a missing nin from Konoha like Hajima to know who Jiraiya was. He was feared across the land by many titles, one of which was The Great Toad Sage.

He paid his tab and slowly made his way out the back door, past the surprised employees who had been serving him tea all day. Like most, Hajima didn't know much about sages, except that they were on another level than the standard ninja, even the most powerful ninja didn't face a sage without extensive preparation.

Hajima knew one fact that was considered universal among sages. They were the best of sensors, but they did not have this ability on all the time.

He pressed his hand to the seal and used the pattern Kakuzu had explained to him, and channeling a larger amount of chakra to signify the strength of the enemy. He didn't think he could have made the signal any stronger.

Hajima headed back to port and when he was about to reach the docks he felt the seal begin to burn again. For a moment he feared that Kakuzu had lied to him about the condition of the seal. It emanated a feeling of Kakuzu's desire for information, and the information it wanted was, [How many?].

He considered lying and saying only one, but he had not confirmed that. Kakuzu had warned him that there would be severe repercussions if he gave a false report.

With a sigh and no small amount of fear of either man, he moved back into the village to see if he could track down the Legendary Sannin and allies unnoticed to report to a man who was supposedly still growing stronger even when his old age of eighty something should be a weakness.

* * *

Team 7 found a hotel to stay in for the night. It was called The Traveler's Home, real original. When they were settled in a room Jiraiya lay Mito on the bed. She didn't stir at the movement.

On the way to the town she became less and less energetic. Jiraiya suspected it was some after effect of making contact with the tree, and had offered to carry her back. She'd quickly passed out in his arms.

"Keep an eye on her, I'm going to look around town and see if I can find any leads, whoever gave the old man –er, the Hokage, the info probably wasn't the only one who knew of it."

Hiashi and Minato exchanged a look, before Minato asked, "How long will you be gone for, is there anything else we need to do?"

"Naw, you kids can just rest up in here, I know it was a long trip." He turned and headed out the door as he spoke. "I should be back in an hour or two, but don't worry if it takes a bit longer." Jiraiya waved back to them as he closed the door.

"Huh, well I guess we can just wait here," Minato spoke.

"Does he do this often?" Hiashi asked.

"Well, before team 7 when it was just him and I, he used to ditch me all the time and I would just train or read something. I've never been out of the village though so I don't really want to read or train."

Hiashi felt the same.

Halfway through the first hour and they were still just as bored. Minato was rummaging through his bag again.

Hiashi could no longer resist, he activated the Byakugan and just observed for a while. He first noticed all the people in their building, how they ran about their errands or just rested in their rooms. There were the people in the street, selling their wares and travelling.

That's when he noticed the man on the roof of a building opposite their room. He had the perfect view of them and was watching through a small telescope.

Hiashi stood with a start, and both the man across the street and Minato looked surprised. Before Hiashi could collect himself to alert Minato, the man had pressed his hand to a seal and released a series of pulses.

"There is a man on the building across the street, I think he's spying on us." At his own words he could see the man turned to run.

A flash of chakra drew Hiashi's attention to the opposite direction and he focused on the source. It was Jiraiya, he was fighting up close with a man who kept up easily. They exchanged blows at a speed that Hiashi could hardly follow, but the new enemy was catching, deflecting, and blocking all of Jiraiya's taijutsu moves and only occasionally returning a few. The other man's body was strange, it was full of fibrous tendrils. But strangest of all were the five hearts beating in his torso.

The sound of glass shattering again surprised Hiashi and he chastised himself for having been so distracted. A standard clone of the man who had just been across the street jumped through the glass that had been shattered by a stone. With great speed he lunged from the window sill towards Minato. The way Minato glared at the clone he knew that the other boy didn't realize it was just chakra, or that the real enemy was only a step behind the clone.

Minato swept forward with a kunai that he had drawn before the glass reached the floor. The strike dissipated the clone, but it also left Minato surprised and open. A strong punch cracked across Minato's jaw and he fell to the floor, immediately knocked out from the strength of the chakra enhanced blow. The assailant didn't falter as he ran towards Hiashi.

Hiashi smiled internally, this man had no more tricks to pull, and he was making the mistake of taking on a Hyūga, who were well known for their superiority in taijutsu. He would seal this man's chakra points before he realized what happened.

On the outside, Hiashi was calm as he took his Jūken stance. With the almighty technique of his clan, he struck towards the two tenketsu points on the charging man's shoulders that supplied chakra to his arms. Once disabled, they would be useless for a short time.

The attacker caught Hiashi's fingers in his hands and delivered a head-butt that knocked Hiashi out cold. He shook the tingling from his hands as he turned to the still sleeping form of Mito.

* * *

**Kousuke Hajima's POV - A Few Moments Earlier**

Hajima looked across the street into the hotel room where the little genin were, they were still just sitting there. Only the blonde one and the girl on the bed were visible from his vantage point. Normally Hajima would have reported the kids right away and been out of here, but he knew the girl on the bed.  
He again focused his telescope, centering on the mark on her sleeve. It was the mark of the Senju. He knew of many places that would pay a high price for her. Konoha would surely pay for the life of the heir of their most prestigious founding clan. But Hajima had no delusions that he would get away with such a thing, which is why he would just sell her to the people who thought they did, and had the money to pay for her.

The third team member, who Hajima still hadn't seen, stood quickly and looked out the window. Hajima was a little startled by the quick movement, he had been distracted by the girl. The dark haired boy looked straight into his telescope with the eyes that Hajima recognized as the bloodline of the Hyūga.

"Shit," he cursed to himself. He pressed his fingers to the seal on his arm again and alerted Kakuzu. But only of two. A burst of chakra caught Hajima's attention. He wasn't a great sensor, but he didn't think you had to be to feel that.

From the look of it even the civilians were starting to flee the direction it was coming from. Looking back into the room, he saw that the two were also distracted, something he would take advantage of.

Hajima leapt down into the street and made a standard clone. He also grabbed a rock and through it at the hotel window. Just after the glass shattered he jumped through the second story window with chakra enhanced strength, right behind his clone. He knocked out the blond in a single hit, just as planned. The Hyūga was young, and he so obviously shared the same weakness as the rest of his clan, over confidence.

With how he lunged towards the Hyūga, it was obvious what major tenketsu he had left open. The boy predictably attacked straight for his shoulders, and the fight was over. He turned to regard the girl. If he was right, this was Senju Mito, the only other heir to the Senju clan other than her older sister, the acclaimed Senju Tsunade, one of the three legendary Sannin and one of the best medics around. Mito would be worth it though, he was sure. The surety was forced by the hope he hadn't made a huge mistake.

The girl lay on the bed breathing heavily, like she had a fever. Hajima hoped she wasn't sick, it would be just his luck to kidnap a dying girl and have her die on him before managing to make anything of it. He walked over to the sink and turned on the water all the way.

He bound the two boys together with some rope the blonde had in his pack, it was convenient that he had some. After taking the pack for himself and wearing it across his chest, he walked over to the bed and prepared to grab the girl and go. He turned to the sink and waited until enough had spilled over the carpet. It was almost painful just standing here, but it would be what would save his skin if he made it out of town.

Feeling like he had enough water for the technique, he performed several hand seals and concentrated. After a few moments two figures began to form from the water. Once fully formed they were identical to himself.

He performed another jutsu and one had a henge to make it look like Mito. The clone that still looked like him grabbed the other and exited through the window, running straight for the port. The ship he had planned to leave on might still be there, and if it wasn't the clone had the instruction to jump into the bay in the direction of the ship. Any questioning of the villagers would result in the belief that he had taken the ship to wave with the girl.

After waiting a moment for the clones to leave, he henged himself as a random young man, and Mito with the form of an old woman. Because she was unconscious she shouldn't be able to disrupt the illusion. He lifted her so she was laying on his back, her arms over his shoulders and he held onto her thighs.

Hajima took a deliberate slow pace through the crowds as they fled the scene of an S-rank ninja battle that had moved to the opposite side of the village. He didn't need to attract enough attention that either of the two monsters might find him.

While he had no intention of facing Jiraiya, he hoped the Sannin won instead of Kakuzu. Either man would wipe him out, but if Kakuzu hadn't released him from the seal like he'd said he would, then the man surely would be able to track him down.

Now all he had to do was escape before anyone realized the girl was even gone. He hoped leaving the boys alive would slow down the sage, even if it was only by a minute.

For the first time in days, Hajima smiled to himself he as ran with the crowd with a sleeping old woman on his back.

* * *

Author's Note:

So one thing that I should point out about my recent edit of the early chapters. Every section was limited to a single characters point of view. I thought when I started the story that this method would be the best way to write it, but quickly realized that it limited many factors. While I've delete the markers for my recent edits, I haven't changed much of the writing because it wasn't really causing any issues at this point. By the time you're reading this I may have fixed all the chapters that were written in this manner. If not though, then don't be surprised if you notice headers with the character's name who's POV the section is in. I'll still make it pretty obvious within the first couple lines who the main character of the section is, but don't expect to just seeing their POV. The main reason I changed this is because I couldn't elaborate on the thoughts of anybody except the person specified for the section. I am by no means a great writer when it comes to following things by the book, for I never read the rule book on being a writer (I did pretty bad in language class in school if you haven't guess)

A note more specific to this chapter though. I feel some may question Jiraiya's ability to use sage mode without his toad parents. I'm of the belief that he only needs them for combat because he can't concentrate on controlling the energy at the same time like Naruto can in canon. Sitting there and not moving shouldn't be a problem for him. At least in my fic its not.

Second is how the Byakugan works. While it provides 360 degrees of vision, I feel the brain would still restrict the mind into focusing. So just like how you are focusing on these letters as you read, you are also conscious of your keyboard (its an example, even if your reading this on a phone, you know what I mean). So my feelings on how the Byakugan is the same. There is a focal point, and there is peripheral vision. The Byakugan just extends this peripheral vision and adds the other abilities of the Byakugan. With it you can see everything, but still only look at one thing at a time, except for a Hyuga they don't need to turn their heads or even eyeballs. Its something internal.

I would appreciate a review if you like the story so far, they help motivate me to write more.


	3. Sleep

(Last Edited 11-16-15)

The Growth of the Village Hidden in the Leaves

A Naruto Fan Fiction

**Chapter 3 – Sleep**

Mito struggled against the feeling of the weight on her chest. It made it hard to breathe, and was getting worse over time.

She hadn't felt the tree for a while now, but she could tell that it was getting closer once again. All she could think about was the feelings the tree had given her.

She had felt like she was one with the world when she communed with the tree. There was no way she could go on feeling so empty. Serving the village had been her purpose before, because her family had lived there. But it wasn't enough, not anymore.

She slowly opened her eyes and struggled to breathe as she finally realized that she was on someone's back as they ran.

With a start she noticed that it wasn't any member of her team. "Put me down, I don't know what's going on." Tsunade would be disappointed in her reaction, but she didn't want to attack someone who could be saving her. She further felt that she had made the right decision when the man slowed and gently allowed her off his back.

"Are you awake now? I was afraid you were going to die before we made it to help," the man said. He had brown eyes and brown hair, very nondescript, though he was a pretty big guy. They were also in the middle of the forest, and the village wasn't in sight.

"Why am I out here?" She asked, waking up enough now to be on guard.

"Your sensei is in a battle with a strong opponent in town, it actually started getting so crazy that we had to leave."

"What about my teammates?" Mito asked. She could see the lie formulate behind his eyes before he even spoke.

"They got caught up-," He was cut off abruptly as he dodged back from her sudden strike.

"Don't bother making anything else up, I can already see that you're an enemy. You don't think I was warned against kidnapping? It's not exactly uncommon for clans." She tried to conceal how much energy just that one punch had taken.

Hajima stood casually as a kunai dropped out of a hidden holster up his sleeve into his hand. "If you know what this is then you should know that giving up is the best option."

Mito scoffed, "Like I would ever listen to one of your suggestions."

In her head she was panicking, it might have been better to go along with it before he realized she was on to his lies. It was too late for that now though. She didn't have any weapons on her. The kidnapper had made sure of that. Not to mention she was still feeling woozy.

What was his weakness? With a flash of realization, she turned and ran.

Hajima was surprised, he had expected a jutsu or some other attack. He flung the kunai at her leg and she dodged to the side and it only stabbed into the ground next to her. Before Hajima had a chance, not that he had intended on moving anyway, Mito picked up the kunai and raised it in a defensive stance.

"I'm impressed, but I wouldn't have cut you up too badly anyway."

Mito jumped back and made the hand seals for a clone. It ran forward but her enemy didn't react. Mito quickly and discreetly performed another set of seals while the clone still blocked her from his line of sight.

Despite the clone obviously being an illusion, the man jumped to the side, avoiding the slab of earth that flew through the clone at high speed. It crashed into a tree and shattered, but also taking off a chunk of bark.

While still concentrating on her new technique, as she'd only learned it a few days before, more slabs launched from the top of the pillar she had raised from the ground with her second jutsu. The slabs would have done a good deal of damage to her opponent, had he not dodged every one. Mito couldn't launch her attacks fast enough before he was prepared for the next. She still needed more practice.

With a sudden cry of pain her enemy clutched his forearm. It distracted him just long enough for Mito to try one last attack. He looked up quickly and dodged to the left, avoiding the earth attack, and right into the path of the kunai. He raised his sealed arm in defense, and the blade stabbed through it.

When the seal broke it burned with the remaining chakra that Kakuzu had imbued into it. A pain worse than he had ever felt erupted in his arm, the pain of the kunai being nothing in comparison. He cursed both Mito and Kakuzu.

In a rage Hajima lunged forward at a speed Mito couldn't avoid. She also brought her arm up, but he had already removed the kunai from his own arm and stabbed it right through her hand and into her shoulder, cutting her skin with ease.

"You're paying for that now bitch!" he cursed at her. She cried out and tried to throw him off her, but the pain prevented Mito from using her right arm effectively.

Hajima suddenly looked past her with surprise. He released her and jumped back, raising his arms in defense. Mito fell to the ground, clutching her wounded arm and looked behind herself in relief, expecting to see one of her teammates.

She was only a little surprised when she saw it was Jugo, and her mind had begun to slow a little.

Her attacker looked like he was stuck between deciding to flee from, or attack the newcomer.

Jugo surveyed the scene calmly, looking at her for only a moment before locking gazes with the other man.

"What do you want?" Hajima asked, not quite shouting.

"Please leave, I will be taking her from here," Jugo answered.

Mito was confused, were these two working together? If they were, then this situation had gotten a whole lot worse, but it didn't seem like they were getting along at the moment. Maybe there would be a chance to escape.

Hajima frowned, "I worked hard to get her, and I'm not going to give her up without a fight." With that he leaned forward, preparing to attack.

Jugo was instantly in front of him, a hand pushing Hajima back in a casual movement with herculean strength.

Hajima flew backwards at high speed and disappeared into the trees. The sound of rustling trees and breaking branches echoed through the forest before all that was left was the silence that stood between Jugo and Mito.

Jugo looked back at Mito, noticing the dazed look in her eyes. She was slumped and was still grasping her bleeding left shoulder, but unfortunately the hand she was using to cover the wound also had a hole in it. She mouthed some words that Jugo couldn't make out.

"Please, I need…," but she couldn't think of it. She was bleeding badly and couldn't concentrate. She looked down at the dirt, only realizing that she was face down in it the moment before she lost consciousness.

* * *

"You've only got two hearts left, don't you think it's time to give up?" Jiraiya yelled from atop Gamabunta in the forest outside town.

Kakuzu was hiding in the trees somewhere while Gamabunta and Kakuzu's wind mask battled. It was only because of its ranged wind attacks and ability to fly that it was the last of Kakuzu's chakra creatures. He didn't answer Jiraiya's taunts.

Jiraiya was glad for his intel on Kakuzu, who had showed a superiority in taijutsu that Jiraiya couldn't match. If he didn't know of his little tentacles, then he might've been in bad shape. Especially if Kakuzu lived up to his threats of taking Jiraiya's heart.

The wind mask flew directly over the giant summon, and Jiraiya took the opportunity. "Jump!" He commanded.

Gamabunta didn't hesitate. With the ridiculous strength shown by the Boss Toad of Mount Myōboku, he jumped strait up towards the tendril creature, his giant tanto screaming through the air in a powerful strike.

The wind mask barely dodged Gamabunta's attack, blasting upwards propelled by a downwards wind jutsu.

This was exactly what Jiraiya had been waiting for. With the hand seals already done, he blew a torrent of flame up into the wind, causing it to forcefully explode upwards. The fiery attack engulfed the last of Kakuzu's creatures, incinerating it and the heart within it.

The ground shook with the intensity of a small earthquake when Gamabunta landed from his jump.

"I think the rat fled," Gamabunta said, his deep voice was loud in the clearing as they both surveyed the area.

"I don't think a man like Kakuzu would give up his life just for the sake of a battle." He paused, "keep an eye out for me" Jiraiya said, sitting in the lotus position with his eyes closed.

Gamabunta looked away from Jiraiya with a grunt of confirmation before looking back into the tree line, his tanto at the ready.

Jiraiya concentrated on the natural energy of the area. He could feel the remaining chakra of the dead tentacle creature as it dissipated, but he couldn't sense Kakuzu nearby. His expression changed into a frown when he realized that he couldn't sense Kakuzu anywhere. He must have fled as soon as I lost sight of him and had only been using his last beast as a distraction. It would make sense that someone like that would know of the sensory abilities of a sage.

When he checked on the chakra signatures of his students he was surprised to find Mito far outside of the village, almost outside the range of his senjutsu. Hiashi and Minato were both inside the hotel room, and from this distance he could identify the agitation in their chakra.

Why had Mito left? Or why weren't her teammates with her if they had decided to flee the battle area.

With a horrifying realization the idea that this was a distraction came to mind. He hadn't suspected that Kakuzu had even known about his students, but he had lost too much strength to follow through. He didn't think it would be possible for Kakuzu to rush through town, collect one of his students, and escape the other side of the village with Mito, especially since he could only sense Mito moving.

Her chakra was getting horribly weak; it wasn't as clear as with the other two, but he suspected she was unconscious. But still moving?

With the last of the natural energy dispersed from his body, Jiraiya leapt from Gamabunta's head onto the ground. "He's not in the area, and I have to go save my students, so you can go."

"You owe me for this one Jiraiya, these wounds are going to annoy me for the next few days," the Toad Boss said, raising his arm and showing off the damage.

Jiraiya looked back and rolled his eyes. Don't be such a baby, and don't worry. I'll pay you back.

And with that he ran towards the village to check on his two students, who were both now heading in Mito's direction, leaving Gamabunta to disappear in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

**A Few Moments Earlier**

Minato woke with a start, his hands and legs were bound and he lay on his side facing an unconscious Hyūga Hiashi. With sudden recollection he remembered the enemy ninja and stretched his neck to look on the bed. It was empty.

A horrible fear dropped to the pit of his stomach. Mito had not been well since leaving the cave. That tree had done something to her, it was almost like the withdrawal symptoms of a drug addict. She wouldn't be able to fight in that state.

Jiraiya was still not back, but he could hear the distant sounds of battle and the large amount of chakra he could sense being used. Minato had sensed this chakra before, it was the Toad Boss Gamabunta. Whoever Jiraiya was fighting, it would be best for them to stay far away.

Why had they been knocked out but not killed? Or why was Mito taken? Minato panicked for a few moments before he realized what he was doing. He took a deep breath and waited for his heartbeat to slow a bit. Then he analyzed the situation.

Mito was taken, they were left alive for some reason. She was a Senju, and the main goal of kidnapping was usually ransom, so hopefully she would be kept alive.

He felt that this was his fault. Out of all things he was tricked by a simple clone, and not only that but he also went down with one blow. He could remember the moment he realized he was going to get hit, but by then it had already been too late.

In the academy he had been one of the top fighters in the class, but he had never resorted to trickery, only using the power and speed of his taijutsu to defeat his sparring partners. He had to remember that they were ninja, and that everything was allowed.

Minato pulled out the small, flexible serrated blade he had stabbed into the rubber of his sandal for just such an occasion. After a few seconds he was free, and he bent over to untie Hiashi. When he grabbed the Hyūga's wrist Hiashi's eyes flew open and he looked up to Minato.

"What's going on?" Hiashi asked, looking around the room.

After Hiashi was freed they both stood.

"I think he took Mito; we should go after them before they get too far," Minato spoke, rushing around the room collecting their remaining items. Hiashi appeared to stare blankly at the wall, his Byakugan active. His head pounded with the pain of his knockout blow, which thankfully hadn't broken his nose.

"I think Jiraiya might need some help, he's outnumbered even with his summons." Hiashi spoke.

"If the enemy realizes we're Jiraiya's genin then they might use us against him."

Hiashi frowned, "Well I don't see either Mito or her kidnapper. There are some water clones running to the docks though," He focused, and for a few moments stretched his senses beyond his normal limits. With a jolt of pain, he released his family bloodline. Hiashi moved to the windows and vaulted down onto the street, followed quickly by his teammate.

Minato looked at him in hope. "Did you see them," he quickly asked.

"I think so," Hiashi answered. "They were just on the edge though, Mito is unconscious and is being taken into the forest."

Minato swore harshly, Hiashi was surprised to hear such language from the normally well-mannered boy. "We need to go after them before they get too far, I'm sure Jiraiya will catch up once he finishes things up here. We don't have any other choice."

Hiashi nodded and they ran down the street, his eyes were still sore and they would need a short rest before he could use his bloodline again.

They reached the edge of the village and took to the trees. Running as fast as they could. After a while Minato asked, "Can you check again?"

Hiashi didn't answer, just performed the hand seals and activated his Byakugan. After a few moments he deactivated them again, coming to a stop on a branch to close his eyes. "The man who was watching us is on the beach, and I think Mito is a little farther ahead. I could only make out a hazy figure," Hiashi said.

"The beach is just over there, if he's down let's finish him off," Minato said, some venom entering his voice. He did want the person who knocked them both out and took Mito to get away. Hiashi only stood for a moment, resting his eyes.

Minato took off through the trees to the beach, leaving Hiashi to catch up. When he landed on the sand he could see the figure laying partially in the water. He was definitely dead, with the only part of his body still in the water being his face.

He could also see that his stolen pack had been torn open somehow, and a few of his more buoyant belongings were washed up on shore.

Off to the right Minato could see a gap in the leaves leading inland. He looked down at the mangled body and realized that the kidnapper had died by crashing through the trees.

A sound behind Minato alerted him to the arrival of Hiashi and Jiraiya. "We need to hurry," Jiraiya said briskly. Minato quickly pointed to the gap in the foliage. Jiraiya nodded, "Let's go."

* * *

The feeling of the rough bark against her skin was the first sensation that Mito could still differentiate in a while, other than the gentle arms she had been in until now. But the millisecond of normal sensation ended when the tree made contact with her.

Though barely conscious and completely unable to move, Mito was still able to realize that she was in the temple again. She was lying in a divot in the roots, her head resting against the trunk.

The mind of the tree was like its own miniature space, but at the same time it was vast compared to Mito. She could feel how far it reached around her, and could sense it slowly growing in size.

She could still feel her legs against the roots, her head against the bark; but it was a detached feeling, like a forgotten but important responsibility.

Out of the blinding expanse, a single tendril of energy slowly flowed towards Mito. She instinctively reached out for it, only to realize she didn't have any limbs. Nonetheless, the tendril began to wrap around her being, the end splitting into a countless number of filaments as it grasped every portion of Mito's new form.

The feeling of the roots and the leaves saturated Mito's mind, it was so different to have these senses, and yet so natural. The feeling so great and fulfilling that she never wanted to leave. She focused on the tree, and forgot herself as the connection to her body faded into nothing.

* * *

Jiraiya, Hiashi, and Minato came to a brief stop as they came to the entrance of the cave. It was significantly larger than before, being twice as wide as Jiraiya and two heads taller. The three cautiously but quickly walked into the cave, noticing the new set of bare footprints going into the temple.

As the floor transitioned from dirt to marble, Jiraiya noticed the foot prints in the dirt were bloodier than he thought, with a small spattering every few steps. The fact that concerned him the most was that they became less bloody with each step they took towards the dais.

When Jiraiya and the others rounded the raised platform, they knew already that the worst had happened.

Jugo was kneeling on the floor in front of the tree, his back to them and his head looking up into the leaves.

"Wait back here." Jiraiya said to the other two, who only stared quietly at the scene. Jiraiya walked forward until he stood behind Jugo, and there was a moment of silence. Jiraiya looked forlornly at the body of Mito against the trunk of the tree. The girl was unnaturally pale and wasn't breathing.

"Why did you bring her here?" he asked quietly.

Jugo didn't answer right away, and Jiraiya could feel anger bubbling up within himself. "She was beyond my care, and would still have died before I reached a healer." Jugo said, looking away from the great tree and into Jiraiya's eyes. "I had hoped that it would be able to heal her wounds, as I know it is able to. At least with myself." The last bit was added in a whisper.

Jiraiya looked away from Jugo and proceeded to the tree. Leaping up onto the roots he quietly looked down at the tiny form of his teammate's little sister. The one whom he had been entrusted to protect. He would be willing to trade his life for hers, but he didn't know any of those techniques. He damned Kakuzu in the back of his mind, but could only feel remorse and pity for the young life he'd failed.

Jiraiya reached down, careful so that only his wooden geta made contact with the tree. He picked up Mito and turned back to the rest. Hiashi and Jiraiya looked at the abnormally pale red head in his arms. Jugo's head was bowed, his fists clenched tight on his knees.

Jiraiya walked past the other man, not even sparing a glance as he walked towards his students. He knew that the man had only meant to help, but the unfortunate fact remained that he had failed in the end.

He walked past the boys and they followed in Jiraiya's shadow, not making any sounds. The two mostly looked at the ground, but when they looked up they could only see Mito's feet with her ninja sandals on, or her red hair over Jiraiya's left arm.

Jiraiya knew that he was probably going to die at Tsunade's hand, but he felt that he truly deserved it. After the pain of losing her parents to war, or more importantly the recent loss of her fiancé Dan, Tsunade had been in a slump and her Will of Fire wasn't what it used to be.

Jiraiya knew that his teammate would do one of two things. Either she would stay cooped up in the Senju compound for the rest of her days, or she would leave the village and never return.

"We're going back to Konoha," Jiraiya said, not looking back at the other two. Neither boy spoke, just followed in silence.

* * *

Author's Note:

Alright, the main thing I wanted to talk about in this chapter are chakra sensors. There are the obvious ones, Hiashi has byakugan, Jiraiya is has developed the skill and has sage mode to add to it. The one in question would be Minato and Hajima. First though I will say the reason I am bothering to explain this is because I think being a sensor is useful, but OP if all the strong characters "just have it".

So here is the general rule. Ninja with low chakra reserves have a sensitivity towards external chakra, this doesn't mean they can identify a jutsu or pinpoint a the location of a ninja who is trying to suppress their chakra. But they are going to notice a flare. Think of chakra as light. If you were incandescent, but only a little(or not at all like real life), you would notice the lights around you. But if your light was brighter than any others, it'd be kinda hard to see those other lights right? That's why low chakra reserve sensors are not impressive, but high reserve chakra sensors are.

Then there are the civilians. Think of them as blind people. They can't see the light, but if you are sitting next to a huge fire that's putting off a ton of light you can't see, you can sure as hell still feel the heat. Which usually means you should back up a bit.

That is all. Please review or send me a pm if you notice a problem.


	4. Choices

(Last Edited 11-16-15)

The Growth of the Village Hidden in the Leaves

A Naruto Fan fiction

**Chapter 4 - Choices**

It was a beautiful day, completely unfit for the funeral of Tsunade's little sister. The birds sang off to the side of the Konoha funeral grounds, and the skies were clear.

Many of the leaf nin, as well as many of the civilians, had shown up to pay their respects to the youngest Senju. Even though there were many people at the funeral, only the group in the front really knew Mito well.

Senju Tsunade looked up at the casket, to Mito's picture framed by a rose wreath. It was the photo they had taken at her graduation ceremony. It was painful to think that it had only been a few weeks since that day, and she had been so excited.

Beside Tsunade stood Hiruzen, dressed in the same formal black that everyone at the funeral wore. Her teammates and Mito's teammates stood nearby.

Jiraiya cleared his throat in the silence. She suppressed her irritation at the man. As far as Tsunade was concerned, he had failed her for the last time. She wished that he had died instead. He had saved her many times, so she understood the lengths he went to, and still he had failed.

Shizune, Dan's niece, stood a little apart from the group. She was still a young child, not yet old enough to join the Academy. She had told Tsunade that after Dan had died her parents decided she wasn't allowed to be a ninja, so she was going to go to school to be a doctor instead.

Tsunade just looked ahead, staring at the photograph of a smiling Mito. An emptiness that she had been feeling only too recently well gnawed at her insides. It was worse than when Dan died, because after he had died all she had left was Mito.

People began to leave, with the eulogy and moment of silence coming to an end. Some turned to consider coming over to commiserate Tsunade and her group. Not many people approached her, they had all already done so at Dan's funeral, and they remembered how antisocial she had been. Showing up for the funeral was enough.

She didn't want to talk to anybody, their words couldn't fill the emptiness she felt. Tsunade turned to leave but was stopped by the gentle but firm hand of her sensei when he grasped her shoulder. "You should stay a little longer, but I understand how you feel," He said.

She didn't respond or turn to him. Tsunade just glanced back to the photo once more before Hiruzen released his hand from her shoulder.

"Come see me sometime tomorrow, or I'll come find you," Hiruzen said with the attitude of a caring father. He didn't wait for an answer before he left.

Jiraiya broke apart from the rest of the group that had remained nearby.

"Tsunade, can I just have a minute?" Jiraiya asked, but she just took it as her sign to leave faster.

Leaping into the trees she quickly left the clearing, not having a destination in mind but certainly not staying back there with damn Jiraiya. She tried to suppress the rage she felt just by thinking of the man. Hiruzen had assured her according to the report Jiraiya and his students had given, it was nearly unavoidable.

"Nearly," she sneered. It had been with that word that she realized Mito's death could have been prevented. It was only due to the weakness of the rest of the team and the fact that Jiraiya had left them alone that Mito was dead.

She tried to suppress the feelings again, before giving up and accepting that she hated Jiraiya and his team. She hated this village for killing Dan and her parents. Every member of her family had died in service to this damn village.

No, there was still Kushina, but they had never been close. Mito and Kushina had been spending time together recently before her death.

Except Kushina was a ninja now too, and probably wouldn't last long anyway. It would be best if she didn't get closer to her.

Tsunade came to a stop outside the Senju compound wall. She could easily jump over it, but she didn't want to. There was nothing in there for her anymore.

She looked down the hill that was the front of the compound, towards the village wall. There was nothing here for her at all.

'I might as well leave the village', she thought, and the more she thought about it, the more right she felt she was.

She cursed when she realized that she _would _have to go back into the compound. If she was going to leave the village then she was going to need some of her items first, and more importantly, money.

With those thoughts she realized that she was already resolved in leaving the village. After so many years of risking her life to defend it, it was surprisingly and refreshingly easy to turn her back on it.

* * *

**3 Days after Mito's Funeral**

Minato looked up from the seals Jiraiya had given him to study. Hiashi Hyūga walked into the clearing that was training ground 7, looking a little less arrogant than usual.

'Hiashi isn't as bad as some of the others in his clan,' Minato thought. Most of the Hyūga were so stuck up it made the Uchiha look down to earth, which they weren't of course.

Minato raised a hand in greeting. "Hello, Hiashi."

Hiashi inclined his head. "Good morning," he said quietly.

Neither of them spoke for a few moments, not knowing how to fill the new gap in conversation. Mito didn't care who was from what clan, and she seemed to enjoy being overly friendly with Hiashi, just to rile him up.

Hadn't cared, Minato reminded himself.

Hiashi looked down at the seals lying around the area, each with a rock on the corner to hold it in place. "Why are you studying fūinjutsu out here?" he asked, but not sounding overly curious.

"Well I'm making some exploding tags, and I didn't want to do that in my apartment after my first attempt," Minato said, rubbing the back of his head in chagrin.

"I see. They are going well now I hope," Hiashi said, surveying the multitude of tags just a few steps away.

"None of those are active, I haven't put chakra in them yet." He looked Hiashi in the eyes for a moment. "I'm pretty sure you'd be able to tell the difference with your eyes on."

"You are correct," Hiashi stated.

An unnatural silence hung in the air between the two.

Minato frowned, this conversation wasn't going anywhere. He wasn't even sure this was a conversation.

"Do you want to spar with me before Jiraiya gets here?" Minato asked.

Hiashi looked faintly surprised, they had of course sparred before. But only under the guidance of Jiraiya or with the jeering of Mito. Hiashi had been training both his Byakugan and his skills in the Gentle Fist since his return to Konoha, with his only real break being for the funeral.

Minato had also been training. Jiraiya had given him the fūinjutsu to work on but he wanted to get stronger in ninjutsu and taijutsu too. He felt that his weakness in these two ninja aspects was the reason he had failed to protect Mito and Hiashi. He was ashamed by how quickly he had been defeated, not even lasting long enough to consider teamwork as a strategy.

"I will, I seek to become stronger as well," Hiashi said resolutely after a moment, seeing the determination in Minato's eyes.

After their spar Minato and Hiashi rested beneath the trees on the edge of the clearing.

There was a peaceful moment of silence between the two, and this time it wasn't so awkward.

Minato spoke quietly but with conviction. "I don't ever want something like that to happen again. If I ever have the chance to save one of my friends, I don't want to fail because of something stupid like being too weak."

Hiashi didn't speak for a moment. When he had his breath back he replied, "I feel the same. When I saw you go down with that first hit I was surprised, but I didn't even think it would be possible that the same would happen to me."

Minato looked surprised, sitting up from his spot in the shade and looking over to Hiashi.

"Really?" He asked. They hadn't talked about what happened after Minato had been knocked out.

"No, I said it just to make you feel better," Hiashi said sharply. He looked to regret his words a moment later. "I apologize," He said, not making eye contact.

Minato just waved his hand lamely. He knew of the pride of the Hyūga, and an admittance of failure as well as an apology was a lot, he could forgive the remark easily. Kushina had said worse.

"Jiraiya is late again," Hiashi observed.

Minato looked back to Hiashi. "I don't think he's taking the situation very well; Mito's death has been hard on everyone."

"He is one of the greatest veterans of Konoha, I don't think this will keep him down for long." Hiashi said.

"I don't think it's only Mito's loss exactly," Minato said. He looked around cautiously before adding, "I think it's more Tsunade that he's broken up about." He felt guilty saying it, like he was saying that Jiraiya didn't care about Mito, even though he knew that wasn't true.

"They've been teammates for a long time, and I bet something like this has never come between them before," Hiashi added. He had been thinking about their sensei as well. After all, most people did blame him for not protecting the young Senju.

Minato looked over at Hiashi seriously. "I'm sorry for not being stronger back at the hotel. If I'd just trained more…" He trailed off, not wanting to start the same self-criticism that had been playing through his head the last few days.

Hiashi shook his head. "We were both too weak. I saw the clone coming but didn't warn you, I expected you to go down. What's worse is that I wasn't even tricked by a jutsu. It was my own arrogance that caused me to fail."

"I think that we should do more than just train our strengths together," Minato said. "We should also train our weaknesses."

Hiashi frowned. "I don't think it would be a good idea to reveal our weaknesses."

Minato crossed his arms. "And that thought is why we didn't help each other better. If there's some weakness to your eyes, I won't know when to cover you if an enemy finds it out before I do. Vice versa of course too."

Hiashi looked hesitant. "If I were to tell you of my weaknesses, then you would have to keep them a secret. Also you must hide that you know of them also." Hiashi looked visibly uncomfortable.

"I promise to keep the things you tell me about your clan a secret. You are my teammate after all," Minato said.

Hiashi took a moment to mull it over. "Very well. My clan would be furious if they knew I told you the weaknesses of our clan techniques." His eyes hardened for the moment. "I will be expecting equal honesty from you also."

Minato just waved his hand at him again. Don't worry about it, nobody will get mad at me for telling my own weaknesses." With that he held out his hand to Hiashi, who looked at it and hesitated for only a moment before grasping it in his own.

* * *

The Third Hokage smiled at the scene that played out before him in his crystal ball. Minato and Hiashi had been hurt by Mito's death, but it looked like they would be using her pain to motivate themselves. They had a strong Will of Fire, and would live up to his expectations he was sure.

With a wave of his hand and a shift in his chakra, the scene in the ball changed. For a moment it was high in the sky above the Senju compound, before focusing on Tsunade, who was walking out the front gate.

Hiruzen frowned. Her face wasn't so clouded as it was earlier, she was still in pain, but she had a goal now. Accentuated by the fact that she was now wearing travel clothes and had a pack slung over her shoulder.

Tsunade took a moment to glance back to the compound after she had almost been out of sight of it, but only for a moment. She was planning on leaving the village, the signs were obvious.

Hiruzen had expected some kind of rash action, and though the possibility had crossed his mind, he had not expected her to leave Konoha. This wasn't just going to be a vacation to cool down. He knew in his heart that he would not see her return if he let her leave.

Taking the crystal ball and its cushion, he secured it in a sealed drawer, designed solely for its safe keeping.

He didn't usually take the window, but in this case he didn't want to be observed. With a hand gesture he signaled his guards to hold position. He knew they didn't like the orders, but none of them stepped out of the shadows to object.

He arrived at the front gate and walked out of the village a short way. At the curious stares, he just gestured to them to return to their duties. He only had to wait for a few minutes before Tsunade came around the corner of the road that led to the Senju compound. When she saw him she didn't hesitate or slow.

When they were face to face she stopped and spoke. "I'm leaving sensei; I don't want to stay in the village anymore." There was no remorse in those words.

Hiruzen scowled, "What about your comrades, your teammates, friends, and the village?" His stance wasn't the one of the gentle Hokage anymore.

Tsunade broke eye contact when she shook her head. "I don't care, they're all just going to die anyway. I can't bear it anymore."

"You should know as well as any ninja that everyone dies eventually. These are words I've exchanged with scared fresh genin before, but I never expected to have to tell one of my own grown students why they should not abandon the village."

"I. Don't. Care." Tsunade said resolutely. She started walking again and Hiruzen tensed. Abandoning the village was betrayal, and it wouldn't be good to let the other countries hear how one of his greatest ninja had done so.

An oppressive aura emanated from Hiruzen, it was restricted to the area but the chunnin guards felt it, and furiously watched the road or did some paperwork.

Tsunade didn't hesitate, she walked up to Hiruzen and past. For a moment when they were side to side, Hiruzen's aura peaked; but a few moments after she had passed him, it had dissipated.

Hiruzen couldn't stay mad at his student after recent events, she wasn't as strong as she used to be, and many didn't realize it but she was more detached from the rest of the village than her teammate Orochimaru.

He turned around and watched as Tsunade walked into the afternoon sun. This would probably be the last time he saw such a sight. If he ever met Tsunade again before he passed, he didn't think it would be for a pleasant conversation.

Hiruzen walked over to the two gate guards. They quickly looked away from Tsunade and stood at attention. "I expect the two of you to keep quiet about this. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" They chorused.

Hiruzen began the walk back to his office. There were still a few hours of daylight left before he could turn in for the night. Kumo has been edging around the borders recently, hopefully they wouldn't take Tsunade's leaving of Konoha as an indicator that it was a good time to strike. Because it was.

Konoha had won the last war, but they hadn't come out of it with the most resources, shinobi, or gains. They simply had the highest level ninja, which was a given considering Konoha genin normally weren't even put into ninja combat. It wasn't until they became chunnin that they would be sent out on combat missions with enemy ninja. Konoha had the smallest number of ninja who could be sent on combat missions, but they also had the lowest mortality rate.

The best part about this was that joining the academy was, for the moment, optional. But only because the clans knew that they were obligated to have their children join. They weren't shown favoritism in the village for nothing after all.

The low mortality rate of the ninja in his ranks was the reason that having an optional enrollment in the academy was possible. Many more sought to join due to the many friends and family who were ninja.

Hiruzen frowned when he realized that if war were to break out again, then all genin would need to see battle, and many ninja families would have their children drafted into service.

The First and Second Hokages had strived their whole lives to avoid that as much as possible, and it angered Hiruzen to think that Tsunade would do this. Her leaving the village weakened it significantly, as she was one of four Kage strength fighters in the village. Now they were down to just himself and his two other students.

Kumo and Iwa each had three S class Ninja, including their Kage, according to Jiraiya's intelligence, with Suna and Kiri each having two. There were a few minor villages that were supported by an S class nin. It wasn't the other villages that concerned him as much as some of the other monsters out there.

The five great ninja villages were always fighting, and always ready for a fight with each other. But there were people and creatures alike in the world that had the power to destroy an entire village at the cost of their lives. He had heard of those so strong that it probably wouldn't even cost them that much.

Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara had been two such monsters. They had fought on par with bijū, and there had been recorded and witnessed battles where they had fought with the Kyuubi. Both allied against it, and Madara using it against Hashirama.

If someone like that showed up to attack the village, they would need as many S class ninjas as possible. Imprisoning Tsunade or investing efforts into hunting her down would be useless.

He didn't think it was possible, but Hiruzen hoped that one day Tsunade would have a change of heart and return to the village.

For now, he would have to prepare for the announcement of Tsunade's abandonment. Maybe he would be able to deceive the population if something could be figured out. He would have to speak with his students about the situation and get their thoughts. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to request Danzo's advice as well. The man would give it regardless.

* * *

Jiraiya stepped out from the tree line, noticing Hiashi and Minato sparring. They paused for a moment when they saw him enter the clearing, but with a wave of his hand they continued.

The two were doing well, but it was expected considering that they had been training for that past few days. He had just finished up a meeting with the Hokage. Orochimaru and Danzo had been there too, but he wasn't pleased with them at the moment.

Hiruzen had told them of Tsunade's defection, and while himself and Orochimaru hadn't spoken out against his decision to let her go, Danzo did. He openly criticized their sensei and leader for his decision in not dragging her back to the village immediately, and suggesting that she be marked as a missing nin.

Orochimaru wasn't much better, he had agreed with Jiraiya's sentiment that she be given time away from the village, but had only given her two weeks to return. Then if she still wouldn't come back, she would be marked as a deserter. She would have hunter nin tracking her down, and they would return her to the village, dead or alive.

Jiraiya felt another pang of guilt over Tsunade's defection. The reason was clear, and he was obviously at fault.

The Hokage hadn't come to a decision, telling them that he would inform them at a later time after he decided. The old man was surely under a lot of stress.

Hiashi and Minato finally came to a stop and collapsed onto the ground, both facing the sky and breathing heavily. Jiraiya walked over and stood near the two, waiting for them to recover.

"How are ... you Jiraiya ... sensei," Minato spoke between breaths.

Jiraiya only looked at him for a moment, trying to decide what to reveal. "Not too well brat, but I can't really talk about it yet."

He could see that Minato understood. He understood a lot at this age that he probably shouldn't. He was open minded and Jiraiya could see that he would someday be a great ninja. He hadn't spoken of a desire to be Hokage, but Jiraiya could see the boy working his way into the office.

Hiashi got up, brushing the dirt off of his training clothes. He turned to Jiraiya and asked, "Who was the man you were fighting alongside Gamabunta that day?"

Jiraiya was a little surprised at the question, but only a little. He was more surprised they hadn't asked sooner. "His name is Kakuzu, and he is a missing nin from Taki, and he's been in the bingo book for more than 30 years now."

Both his students looked surprised at this. "30 years?" Minato repeated.

Jiraiya nodded. "He's been an S rank ninja since before I was born, someone who's almost on the Hokage's level."

"That's ridiculous, and you managed to beat him?"

Jiraiya frowned and waved in the negative. "I almost did, but he escaped before I could finish him off, and even though I destroyed his main offensive force, he's still extremely dangerous. Considering his technique, we won't be seeing him in action again any time soon, hopefully anyway."

"But still," Minato said excitedly, jumping to his feet and looking up to Jiraiya. "The fact that you fought someone like that and didn't even get hurt."

Kakuzu wasn't a light hitter, and is extremely deadly. So if he'd gotten injured at all, he'd most likely be dead. After all, he technically hadn't landed a single blow on the other man either.

"I agree," Hiashi said. "If that person is almost on the level of the Hokage then the fact that you managed to come out of a fight like that unharmed speaks greatly of your power." Minato nodded along excitedly.

Jiraiya raised a lecturing hand. "I'll be honest and say that the Hokage is past his physical peak, but his mind is still sharper than ever. That is what you have to fear the most from older ninja, not just physical strength, but far superior cunning."

The excitement withered in the boys' eyes, and Jiraiya knew that they were remembering their own personal failures. "I know what you mean," Minato said, looking down and rubbing the back of his neck.

"That's not to say that power isn't important, at some point you will reach a peak if you ever get to be an S rank ninja. You have to have something special in order to surpass that point. The Hokage is another good example of this. He was called the God of Shinobi because of his perfection of all the shinobi techniques in the Konoha archive and is smart enough to outwit any Nara."

"What does he have to break the barrier?" Minato asked, not even considering he shouldn't ask such a thing. It wasn't a secret though, people from many countries had seen the Third fight seriously. Maybe more had seen his great battles than his small ones, from the scale alone.

"He is able to summon Enma the Monkey King, who can transform into an adamantine staff and grow to ridiculous sizes… and I mean squishing Gamabunta big.

Minato's eyes looked like saucers, so did Hiashi's, but they always kind of did anyway.

Jiraiya smiled at their expressions and continued. "Kakuzu also had a unique ability. He has many tendrils in his body that could connect his organs, based off my intel anyway. Because of this he could steal other people's hearts. It seems he aims to have a heart for each element, but I destroyed all but one of them, so he'll need time to get four more powerful hearts before he's that big of a threat again."

Hiashi nodded, having confirmed this with his own eyes.

"What do you have?" Hiashi asked. Minato nodded along beside him.

"You ask for my ace so easily boy," Jiraiya reprimanded.

Hiashi broke eye contact and glared at Minato, the unrestrained question somehow his fault.

"I'm just kidding, you are my special students, so I'll entrust you with my secret technique." Jiraiya smiled and ruffled the hair on their heads. Hiashi scowled but allowed it, and Minato just smiled cheekily. "I'm a sage." Jiraiya whispered.

"That's not a secret." Minato said." You tell everyone all the time. 'The Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, the Amazing Jiraiya'," Minato said, waving his arms about.

Jiraiya chuckled, "Well not many people actually know what that means."

The look on Hiashi's face looked like he didn't want to ask again, but Jiraiya could see the question in his eyes.

"A sage is someone who uses natural energy to augment their bodies and connect to the world around them. The technique is called Senjutsu."

"What is natural energy?" Hiashi asked. "I have never heard of such a thing, and it cannot be chakra or I would be able to see it."

"You're right and wrong," Jiraiya said. "Natural energy is similar to chakra, and can sometimes be used in similar techniques to Ninjutsu, but its source is different." He raised a hand to prevent any questions. "I'm not going to go into detail about that though, it's not something I completely understand yet either."

"How many sages are there," Minato asked.

"Not many. I know that Senju Hashirama was one along with the Sage of six paths. The great toad sage of Mount Myōboku is one, and I'm pretty sure he's always in sage mode." Though it wouldn't be hard considering he just sits in that chair all the time. "Lastly there's my teachers, the toad sages Fukasaku and his wife Shima."

"So most sages have it as part of their title," Minato said.

"I figured that was the way to go, and it sounds pretty awesome too." Jiraiya genuinely smiled, even if it was a little forced. "Though I'll admit that my training is still incomplete. I cannot use sage mode while moving unless I have Fukasaku and Shima with me. Otherwise if I try and move without them controlling the natural energy, it'll transform my body to stone with its power. I would probably turn into a toad first though."

Both boys didn't speak, likely from not knowing what to question first. Minato got over his indecision quickly. "A toad?" he asked ridiculously.

Jiraiya nodded. "If I didn't have Fukasaku and Shima controlling the natural energy in my body, it would just transform me into a stone version of myself. Their influence makes it easier, but also causes a mild toad transformation as a side effect. Because I never mastered it properly in the first place, it's almost become natural for me to take of the toad form when not using 100% of my concentration to control it.

"That sounds unpleasant." Hiashi stated.

"But it's worth it right?" Minato asked.

Jiraiya only hesitated for a moment before nodding. "It's very risky for me now, while my training is still incomplete and I depend on two other sages to control my energy. The only human sage that I know of who could use it in combat was the First Hokage. His ability to create and control living wood, augmented by his own sage mode, are what made him able to battle the likes of Madara Uchiha combined with the ridiculous power of the Kyuubi."

Minato looked a little surprised at this. "So if someone had the Kyuubi then they could control it to make themselves stronger."

Jiraiya gave a sidelong look to Minato, indicating that the hypothetical tense the boy had phrased his question in did not fool him. "Yes, the jinchūriki have probably the greatest potential among shinobi, but using that power is a struggle, and only a handful could control their contained Bijū to the point where they could fully utilize its power."

Both students look thoughtful at this, and he knew who they were thinking of. Minato had been getting more friendly with the Uzumaki girl recently, and the Hyūga clan undoubtedly knew whom the nine tail jinchūriki was, considering they could probably see the seal clearly with the Byakugan.

Hiashi opened his mouth for a moment then closed it again. Jiraiya noticed and raised a questioning eyebrow, it wasn't usual for the boy to hesitate like that.

"Was the temple related to senjutsu or natural energy at all? I could tell that there was something else in the air because it clouded my sight, but I couldn't see it directly."

Jiraiya's expression didn't change. "The tree was certainly emanating natural energy, but it was also mixed in with a small amount of normal chakra. I think it got the chakra from the man Jugo though."

At the ease that Jiraiya answered that question Minato was close behind with another. "Do you think that he was a sage too?"

The thought had crossed his mind a few times. The man had certainly been able to communicate with the possibly sentient tree, something that should be within the abilities of a sage. "He may have been, but I've never met a human sage who wasn't a ninja before though, and he didn't strike me as the ninja type."

"He was still strong though," Minato said, remembering the corpse of the man who they suspected had originally kidnapped Mito. Jiraiya's later inspection of the body revealed a seal that was meant to be used in communication of some kind and inflicting pain. The man had been working for someone, probably Kakuzu, and it didn't appear that he had done so willingly.

Jiraiya nodded at this. "I have considered going back to see if he's still there." If he isn't a ninja and isn't allied with a village, I would consider asking for some help if he is indeed a true sage."

From the looks on the boys' faces it was time to change the subject. Talk of the temple was reminding them all of their recent failures.

"Anyway I think you two have rested enough. What I have to teach you both today is how to deactivate a seal." You might already know how to disable seals with your techniques Hiashi, but I want to make sure that you know how to do it exactly. After all, we don't want you detonating an explosive seal instead of disabling it now do we?"

He reached back and pulled out a variety of seals he had made for them to disarm. "Be careful," Jiraiya said with a mischievous smile. Two of these will explode with a pink liquid if you do it wrong, and it stains really badly.

* * *

Minato walked towards home with his hand in his pockets.

He had gone over a lot today with his team, and he could already feel that he was becoming stronger. His recent training with Hiashi was exposing more weaknesses than he realized he had, but through their mutual efforts the two were growing stronger, and smarter in the ways of ninja combat.

Minato vowed to himself that he would never be defeated again. He would train until he was the strongest in the village, so that he could always protect his friends and the villagers.

"Minato!" He heard a voice yell. Looking down the street he was just intersecting on his left, he noticed Kushina jogging towards him.

"Hey Kushina, how are y-," he was interrupted when Kushina embraced him for a moment before holding him out at arm's length.

"How are you feeling Minato?" She asked, awkwardly releasing his arms. He still hadn't taken his hands out of his pockets.

"I'm doing better now, thanks Kushina." He said a little awkwardly. She hadn't given him a hug like that in a while, a few days at least. Kushina didn't really understand that some people had a bubble, despite having one of her own. Either way she disregarded personal space with her friends.

"Sorry I didn't come find you sooner, my teammates said that I should give you a few days first." It had been three days since they last met, but he supposed it was a great display of Kushina's usually minimal patience.

Smiling he responded, "My whole team was feeling pretty down until today, but we all resolved to get stronger so something like this never happens again."

Kushina smiled largely at this. "You can do anything if you set your mind to it Minato, Dattebane!"

Minato smiled again at Kushina's verbal tick, he loved it when she did that. "Do you want to go get some ramen?" He asked.

"Yes let's go now," Kushina said in a breath, grabbing his arm and dragging him towards Ichiraku Ramen.

After they ordered their ramen, Minato and Kushina sat in a comfortable silence while they waited. The sun was just setting, the evening light still bright orange on the Hokage Mountain. People walked through the streets, mostly civilians, but several ninjas walked among them in their casual clothes, some with friends.

Konoha was experiencing one of its many calm, peaceful nights. Minato was glad that they could live in a village as nice as Konoha.

He'd heard stories of the other villages. Kiri just sounded like a dump, while Suna was super-hot and dry. Kumo was supposed to be just as nice for the civilians, but the ninja had a much tighter leash, as Kumo was still heavily militaristic. More so than Konoha anyway.

"I'm sorry about Mito," Kushina said quietly to the side.

Minato reached over and grabbed her hand from her lap. "I know that she was important to you too. You don't really have any other family right?"

Kushina didn't cry. She looked blankly at the countertop and squeezed his hand gently. "I didn't know her too well, but we were becoming good friends."

Minato reached over and hugged Kushina. She didn't have many friends since she was an immigrant from a foreign village. She stiffened for a moment but then just held his arm. After a few more moments he released her.

"Thank you Minato," she said quietly, a small smile on her face.

Their food arrived and Kushina went into ramen mode, eating as much as she could grasp with her chop sticks. Minato smiled to himself and began eating his ramen as well, except with much less gusto.

"Why are your hands pink?" Kushina asked, but she didn't stop eating to speak.

"Training," he said.

* * *

**Two Months Later**

Something was wrong with Jugo, Mito could tell. His presence within the tree was getting smaller. She was feeling greater and stronger than ever. Despite this his presence was still more than five times her size.

In her recent lessons with Jugo they would control the energy that they existed in, or she existed in anyway. It had been explained to her early on that her body was dead, and that only her soul and some of her chakra still existed within the tree.

It was a little hard to grasp at first, but Jugo explained it wasn't her fault for not understanding, she had still been too weak to communicate properly.

She reached out a tendril of thought towards Jugo, but the orange presence seemed to be dormant. It gently touched the edge of Jugo's light, but she didn't detect any thought or consciousness within the man.

He had been doing this every so often recently. But it was starting to last for longer and longer periods of time.

She felt out around the tree, not feeling that anything had changed in the outer world either. Jugo's body still lay on the roots, beneath the leaves of the tree. It had been roughly 3 months since he entered this space, the same day her team left with her body.

She was beginning to get bored, even in this wonderful place. She had learned how to control the energy around her, and how to incorporate it with herself. She could feel Jugo's essence begin to stir a little, which meant he would be waking within the next few moments.

The tree also had a sort of consciousness, but it wasn't sentient as most would think of it. It had a will, and its every action, every thought revolved around that will. She could feel its desire to grow, the desperate reach of the roots. They tried to grow further but were held back by the darkness below. The tree could grow to almost any size, but it was limited by the strength of its being.

Until its power could grow stronger, the tree was limited to its current size. If it gets too weak below where the darkness is, it could overwhelm the tree's spirit and begin to eat away at the roots.

Mito shivered at the feeling of the darkness below. She tried to ignore it, but it was always at the back of her mind.

Jugo woke slowly, taking a moment to realize where he was.

"Are you awake again?" Mito asked in their mind speak.

"Not awake, but I can hear you still," Jugo said.

"Why is this getting worse? You're hardly even here anymore." She reached out with a small amount of concern.

"The tree has begun to create a body for you, and is using my energy and body to do so." He said casually, even though he wouldn't speak on the subject of his rests previously.

Mito was surprised. Creating a body? She didn't realize they could do such a thing. "I will get to have a body again?" She asked excitedly.

"Yes, but it will not be the same as your original one," he said.

"How is this even possible?"

"Mostly due to the tree. My body is also unique, and it allows me to recover easily so that more can be taken. Any other person would have died several times over." He paused for a moment. "I'll become weaker, but I will survive and grow again." He said, and already his presence was beginning to dim again.

"Has this happened before?" Mito asked.

"In a way. This will be new, but similar to what I have experienced previously." He said slowly. "You also must sleep, the final preparations are complete and it will only take a few days to grow the actual body. Once it is grown you will be moved into it."

With those words Mito could feel her own energy begin to calm, despite the small amount of fear she felt. She was nervous about leaving the familiar comfort of the tree. Every day she spent here she felt more detached from Konoha, but she still remembered everyone. Hiashi and Minato were probably lost without her.

"When you wake next you will be in your new body. Take it slow, it will be a strange experience." Jugo's spirit was again still, only moving along with the flows of the tree's spirit.

Mito felt as if the world was closing in around her. All her senses were cut off for the first time since entering this world. She couldn't feel the outside anymore, she could hardly feel the inside. After a few moments she could only barely remember that she was resisting something, before unconsciousness took her.

* * *

Author's Note:

This chapters topic of explanation is failing sage mode. From what I gather in the anime/manga, when a user fails to harness sage mode, they turn into a toad then stone. I think this is stupid. For those trained by the toads, I suppose it can make sense, but what about those trained in other fashions? So in this fanfiction, the only guarantee when failing to harness natural energy is the body will transform to stone. Like it was explained in this chapter, if there is an outside influence somehow, then it could alter how the failure turns out. Toad based sage mode = toad statue, snake based sage mode= snake statue, naturally gained(or self trained) sage mode, normal statue.


	5. Renewed

(Last Edited 11-16-15)

The Growth of the Village Hidden in the Leaves

A Naruto Fan fiction

**Chapter 5 – Renewed**

Tsunade stumbled down the street, glaring at anybody who looked at her crossly. Her hair was a mess as well as her outfit. She was still recognized as a ninja, and some had even recognized her as one of Konoha's Sannin. Though they mostly knew her as the legendary loser, due to the fact that the only buildings she had been in the last few weeks had been taverns, inns, and gambling halls.

The alcohol and gambling had done a good job of distracting her from her grief, so far. Now though, she was in the same shithole her little sister had been in before she had died.

Tsunade didn't shy away from the thought, but rather embraced it bitterly. Her next step caused the ground to crack in her anger. Some of the nearby villagers quickened their paces, while others outright ran. She didn't care what they thought, none of it mattered anyway.

She reached the edge of the village and looked out to sea. She had crossed the land of noodles in order to get to this point. She had almost convinced herself she had been simply wandering.

She looked to the left and down the beach, in the direction of the reported temple, and the location of Mito's last moments. With her perpetual scowl she began walking.

Reaching into the bag at her side she pulled out a square seal and channeled chakra into it. A large bottle appeared in a puff of smoke. Pulling out the cork, Tsunade took several gulps of the alcohol before stopping to take a breath.

According to Jiraiya, she sneered at the mere thought of the man, Mito's kidnapper had been found dead on the beach, with some damage leading inland.

It took almost an hour of walking, and two more bottles of sake, but eventually she found the place. The evening light shone perfectly through a gap in the foliage, indicating the path inland.

She threw her recently emptied bottle into the sand and began her trek through the trees until she reached the end of the damaged area. To a ninja of her experience, it was obvious that ninjutsu had been used. The damaged trees and short stump of stone were evidence enough of Mito's ninjutsu, the same one she had seen Jiraiya teaching her shortly before they left for the mission.

According to the report, the temple shouldn't be too far from her current location. The same place where the man, Jugo, had taken Mito after he had presumably rescued her. Attempted rescue, she amended. He had apparently been there both before and after the incident.

If she looked carefully, she might be able to find some of Mito's blood. At the thought, she quickly and angrily stumbled further into the trees, where she could see the beginnings of a mountain range.

Eventually she found it, the remaining traces of an earth ninjutsu, used to cover the entrance of the cave she knew was there. She recognized it as Jiraiya's handiwork. She had the skill to undo it, despite the fact that her natural element was water.

With a chakra charged fist, she smashed through the unnatural stone wall, breaking it inwards with a loud crash. Many of the birds that had begun to settle for the night flew up at the sudden noise.

There was a dim light inside, just around a corner. She walked in and stopped in front of the door. She hardly spared a glance at the architecture and the curiously glowing crystals along the walls.

She glared at the doors, and raised a hand to grasp the handles. She gave a tug and they didn't budge. In a fit of rage, she pulled on it with all of her immense strength, which her inebriation hadn't lessened. With a cry of anger, she ripped the doors off their hinges and they flew past her and crashed into the cave, further increasing the size of the entrance and making more noise than her previous punch.

It took a few moments for the doors and rubble to settle, but she walked into the temple with a smoother step. She had instinctively begun to enhance her body with the use of her strength fueled by her anger.

In the back of the temple she saw the tree, and next to the dais, was a boy with orange hair. He looked to be around ten years old. He almost matched the description of the man Jugo, except he was by no means a man.

"You shouldn't have done that," he said flatly. Tsunade felt another pang of irritation.

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?"

"I'll have to fix it." He said, his reaction unchanged by her outburst.

She was a little surprised at the response.

She took a few steps forward, and the boy raised his hand in a halting motion. "You should leave this place; I don't want to have to make you."

Tsunade smirked, a challenge, even from this boy, was something that even her worst enemies would hesitate to do in her current mood. She walked forward briskly, not breaking eye contact with the boy. She walked up the steps towards him and emanated as much killing intent as she could.

Despite this, he stood there calmly, showing no fear at her display of intent or the feat of strength she had performed.

She was almost in front of him when she noticed the base of the tree, or more precisely, the small, paper white human figure that hung from a branch.

She stopped her ascent in shock, just staring at the figure for a moment, looking over the familiar shape of the body, the red hair that covered the face.

"Wha- who is that?" She asked, and without waiting for an answer, began to quickly move past the boy.

"Do not interfere." He said, grabbing ahold of her arm with surprising strength.

Tsunade's anger instantly renewed. She pulled and flung the boy to the side, sending him skidding across the floor into the wall on the far side of the room. He hadn't fallen, but even with chakra he hadn't been able to get a firm hold on the floor before crashing loudly into the wall of the temple, causing pieces of the mosaic to fall to the floor.

Not waiting to see the result of her action, Tsunade jumped and landed on the roots of the tree, right in front of the body. It certainly looked similar to a human, but the differences were obvious. She was pale, to the point where she was truly as white as paper. While there were still small breasts, they didn't have any nipples, nor did the body have genitals. It looked like the body of a mannequin. With a shaking hand she moved the person's hair to the side, revealing the unnaturally pale face of Senju Mito.

Tsunade felt like throwing up, but quickly quashed the feeling as she placed her hands against the body and carefully moved her chakra into it.

There was no heartbeat, no signs of life in the body. But she could still feel cellular activity. It was certainly similar human body in structure, but the cells were not the same as human or animal cells. They had a thin cell wall, similar to what plants had, but appeared to still be flexible enough to allow movement.

She carefully took ahold of the hand and bent the fingers, they were stiffer than a normal person's, but still operated properly. Despite her considerable self-control and experience, Tsunade could still feel and understand that she was beginning to go into shock as she began to hyperventilate.

She took a step back and took a deep breath, also cleansing her blood of the alcohol with a technique. She could see the body, and it was surely Mito's. She had inspected it herself. And while this was not the Mito she had known, it was still undeniably her.

She looked at the fiber that protruded from Mito's neck and up into the branches of the tree. It was attached seamlessly, just above the first thoracic vertebra.

She reached out the feel it, but once again a small hand grabbed onto her wrist.

Jugo spoke quickly, "The process is almost complete, if you want her to live again, then do not interfere."

Tsunade looked the boy in the eyes for a moment, then nodded, gently pulling back her hand. He didn't have a mark on him, only some dust in his hair from the wall.

"Will it really be her though?" She asked, not questioning how he'd survived her throw. "I can see the body, but what about her mind?"

Jugo nodded and looked up at Mito. "Before she died the tree absorbed her soul and chakra, and it has been preserving and preparing her for the new body."

"How could such a thing really exist?" She asked.

"Only due to the tree's efforts, and a small sacrifice from myself" he answered.

She looked at him carefully. "You are Jugo aren't you?" He nodded. "I was told that you were a large man."

"I was, but I had to give much of my body in order to create this one." He indicated, looking back up to Mito. "But it is something I never would have been able to achieve on my own. It is only due to the tree's will that it was created."

"When will she wake up?"

"Soon, I was already awake when you… arrived, in preparation of her rebirth."

The feeling in her stomach had gone away, and now she began to feel like she was in a dream. She reached out to grasp Mito's hand, then hesitated. She looked back down at Jugo for a moment.

"It is alright to touch, but please do not put any more chakra into the body. The tree could start the transfer at any moment."

Tsunade nodded, and with the gentleness someone would use on a newborn infant, she held Mito's hand again. It was so cold, and even though the skin was smooth, it was not soft. It reminded Tsunade of glass, smooth to the touch, but hard and unyielding, up to the point where it shattered of course.

"Will she be fragile?" Tsunade asked. Jugo shook his head in the negative.

"The opposite, humans will be considered fragile things when compared to her. From what I understand, she will be superior in many ways."

"Such as?"

"Well, for one, this body will be significantly more durable than her last, and she will be able to use natural energy… naturally." He paused awkwardly at the phrasing.

"Like a sage?" Tsunade asked, surprise in her voice. She didn't know much about sages, despite having one as a teammate, but she knew they were incredibly rare and powerful.

"Similar, but not the same," He answered. "One drawback is that she will never be able to use normal chakra again, as she doesn't now and will never be able to create it. She will be able to use some ninjutsu, but won't be able to perform any medical techniques or genjutsu." Tsunade nodded at this. According to Jiraiya, unless the person had immense control, the natural energy would convert the body into stone, effectively killing them.

With a sudden jerk, she looked back to the body. She could feel a change, but couldn't identify it. It seemed faint, but it was dampened by the thick skin.

"Her spirit has begun to transfer from the tree into her new body. I'm sure she's excited to see you again… She spoke of you often." Tsunade looked back to him in surprise.

"You were able to speak with her?" She asked in surprise. Jugo nodded.

"For a while I was within the tree as well, but recently, after my contribution, it has refused to commune with me." He also indicated to the body. "We can sense everything the tree can while within it, but she has been dormant for the last few days in preparation of the transfer."

"Are you a Sage as well?" Tsunade asked. She still hadn't let go of Mito's hand. She grasped it firmly and could feel the excitement and happiness begin to well up within herself. Emotions she hadn't felt for weeks, maybe hadn't felt at this level in years. Once again Jugo stoically nodded, but didn't comment.

"It should only be a few moments now, I can feel that her spirit has moved into her new body, all that is left is for her to wake up."

Tsunade noticed a dark ring forming around the edge of the fiber that Mito hung from. She remembered a fact that her sensei had told her one autumn day, when the leaves fell from the trees. When a tree was done with its leaves, and was preparing for winter, it would sever the connection between the leaf and the tree.

She carefully placed her hands below Mito's armpits, getting ready to catch her. Not a moment later, the connection between the tree and Mito was severed.

She was surprised by the sudden weight of the girl, but didn't let it show. She had weighed just around a hundred pounds before her death, but now she must be over one hundred and sixty at the same height.

She laid her in the crevice of a tree, unaware it was the same groove Mito had died in. She turned and looked to Jugo.

"Is it ok if I examine her?" she asked? Jugo nodded.

"At this point, it would take some effort to harm her." Tsunade looked down at her with a fondness.

"She is going to be strong isn't she?" she asked. Jugo only nodded.

"Through her, the tree will be able to expand in ways it couldn't hope to without her." The first lines of concern crossed Tsunade's face.

"It is going to use her?" It sounded like a question, but she already knew the answer. Being brought back from the dead wouldn't be free, no matter who it came from.

"Yes, but she will still be in full control. I do not know what the tree intends." He said.

Tsunade noticed that Mito had begun to stir.

"Mito, darling. Can you hear me?" Tsunade asked, every word laced with the love and happiness that she felt within her.

"Hmm." Mito groaned, not opening her eyes. "Just give me five more minutes." She mumbled.

Tsunade smiled. She had never been happier to hear those words. She looked up at Jugo, and he responded with a small smile of his own.

Tsunade pulled out some gauze, and sat Mito up, despite her displeasure. She began to wrap Mito's chest and hips, giving her some privacy. It wasn't much, but it was better than leaving her completely naked.

"Mito, do you remember what happened?" Tsunade asked gently.

Mito opened her eyes slightly, but didn't answer right away.

"I died. Right?" She said.

"Yes." Tsunade said, "but somehow, miraculously, you are back." Mito stopped staring blankly and looked down to the roots of the tree.

"It's because of this," she said, moving her hand gently over the roots. "And Jugo." She said as an afterthought. She turned to look up at him, revealing her eyes to them both for the first time. They were not her previous blue, but instead were a vibrant golden color. A small, genuine smile crossed Jugo's face.

"I'm glad to have helped." He said softly. "But it was the tree that did the majority of the work."

"Why didn't you tell me this was going to happen?" She asked, only pure curiosity in her voice.

"I was afraid it wouldn't work," he said. After a moment Tsunade had finished tending to Mito and looked her in the eyes.

"I'm never going to let you go again, do you understand." Mito only nodded. She reached out and embraced Tsunade in a hug, who returned it.

"I love you too nee-san, I don't plan on dying again any time soon." There was a moment of silence before a small choking sound came from Tsunade.

"You're- squeezing too hard Mito." She gasped out. Mito quickly released her and chuckled.

"Sorry, it looks like I don't know my own strength." She looked down at her own hands and opened and closed them a few times. "I feel like I'm made of air, and so light." At the words, she stood up shakily, trying to balance on her new legs.

"Really? Because you are pretty heavy." Tsunade said. Mito shot her a look.

"Did you just call me fat?" She accused. A smile stretched across Tsunade's face.

"It's just my professional opinion." She replied.

"So in your professional opinion, I'm fat?" Tsunade didn't deny anything, just smiled back at the girl. At the lack of answer, Mito moved to playfully punch Tsunade's shoulder, only to be caught by Jugo.

"You have to be careful," he warned. "Like you said yourself, you don't know your own strength, and could really hurt the people you care about if you don't learn to control it." Mito looked down, abashed.

"Yes sensei." She said. Tsunade looked between the two curiously.

"Sensei?" She asked.

"Yeah, he taught me stuff about the tree's energy when I was in there," she said, indicating the tree.

"That energy is actually called natural energy by most," Jugo said. "I suspect your other sensei, Jiraiya, will be able to continue your training from here."

Tsunade thought back to her teammate, she still felt that this whole situation was his fault to begin with, and despite her own stubbornness, could feel that she had already forgiven him now that she had her little sister back.

"Let's not go back to Konoha," Tsunade said suddenly, grasping Mito's shoulders. Mito looked like Tsunade had slapped her.

"Not go back to Konoha? Why the heck wouldn't I want to go home?" For the first time in years, Tsunade felt ashamed of herself for what she was attempting.

"If you go back there, then eventually you might get hurt… and I don't think I could handle losing you ever again. I couldn't even handle it in the first place."

"What do you mean," Mito asked, concern in her voice. "What did you do?" Tsunade looked to the side, breaking eye contact.

"I left the village." Mito looked surprised again.

"Like... left left? I mean, you abandoned the village?" Tsunade didn't answer the question.

"I don't want you to die for that place," She said. "I don't want to lose any more loved ones to that village." Mito reached up and moved Tsunade's face by the chin, looking her in the eyes.

"You know, thats probably the stupidest and most selfish thing I've ever heard you say," Mito said bluntly. "When I became a ninja I decided there was no better way to die than for my village. Did you already forget the lessons that uncle Tobirama taught us?" Tsunade felt even more shame well up within her.

"I haven't forgotten; I just don't agree anymore." She said.

"Well I do agree, and I will go back to the village no matter what." Mito said resolutely. Tsunade could feel an emotional gap between them, and she didn't like it. She had been so happy a few moments before, and now it felt like she was being ripped in two again. She felt a cold hand grasp her own gently.

"And I'm not giving you a choice, you have to come back too." Tsunade looked back to Mito. "I know that uncle Tobirama would be rolling over in his grave if he knew you abandoned the village, but I also know that uncle Hashirama would forgive you as many times as it took."

"I walked out on Hiruzen sensei," Tsunade added.

"And we both know that he is too emotional for his own good, or the good of the village. If he let you go, then he'll take you back. Especially when I'm there too." With a sigh, Tsunade firmly grasped Mito's hand. She smiled back at her and just stared for a moment.

"When did you start acting like the big sister?" She asked jokingly.

"When you started fucking up," Mito said bluntly. "Don't make it a habit, I don't like lectures." Mito turned to Jugo.

"You should come to Konoha, I'm sure we could convince the Hokage to let you join us." Mito said. A considering look crossed Jugo's face for a moment.

"Maybe someday, but not yet." He looked at the tree. There is no longer a reason to stay here, the tree isn't concerned with me anymore now that it has you."

"Sorry about that," Mito said in chagrin.

"You know it's not your fault," He said reassuringly.

"I know I couldn't have done anything about it, but I still feel responsible." Jugo didn't deny her words. "If you ever decide you want to join, just ask for me. I will always accept you for the help you've given me and will try my hardest to convince the Hokage." Mito looked between the two for a moment. "You will too right?" She said, looking towards her sister. Tsunade took a moment to answer, but with a sigh nodded. After another moment of hesitation, she bowed low at the waist.

"I could never express the gratitude I have towards you… or this tree." She straightened. "But if you ever need anything, as long as it doesn't go against the village or Mito, I will do anything you ask." Mito just smiled at the display.

"I appreciate the offer, and may take you up on it someday," Jugo replied. Tsunade nodded, hoping she wouldn't regret such a debt.

"I want to go home and see my teammates now, I'm sure they'll be surprised to see me." Mito said excitedly.

"Everyone is going to be surprised, a lot of people attended your funeral," Tsunade said. Mito looked surprised at this.

"I had a funeral?" she asked.

"Of course. You didn't think a ninja of Konoha would die in the line of duty and not receive one, did you?" Tsunade asked.

"I guess it makes sense, it's just weird to think about." Suddenly a mischievous grin grew on her face. "I'm going to get Kushina back so hard for that last prank she pulled on me."

"I think coming back from the dead is a little severe for a prank, don't you think?" Tsunade asked skeptically.

"I have to work with what I've got," Mito said matter of factly.

"That's just cruel."

"That's part of the point," Mito said with a grin. A look of epiphany crossed her face. "So, if you abandoned the village, who did you convince to come with you?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked suspiciously.

"I mean that there is somebody outside this room. If you didn't bring them with you, then they must have followed you."

"What!" Tsunade said. She twisted around and faced the entrance.

"See that small black and white mouse," Mito said, pointing to said creature that was peaking around the dais at them. "It's been watching us for a while now." At her words, the creature melted into a black substance. "I think I gave away our chance of surprise to whoever it is."

"We need to stop them; they could be a spy," Tsunade said. She couldn't believe that she had been followed this whole time. Actually, it probably wasn't that surprising, considering she hadn't really cared about anything until she found Mito. She rushed for the entrance, followed quickly by Mito.

"I think it's already too late, unless you can fly too." Mito said.

"Fly?" She asked. They reached the forest and Tsunade surveyed the area carefully.

"As soon as the mouse was dispelled, they did another jutsu and flew away." Mito said. "I guess I probably should have mentioned them sooner, now that I think about it.

Tsunade jumped up into the tallest tree near them and looked out towards the sea. Just barely visible was a bird, the only thing giving away that it wasn't a small bird in the distance was a human figure crouched on its back.

"I don't know of anybody who can summon a bird who wouldn't be an ally." Tsunade said when Mito came to an unsteady crouch on the branch beside her. "It might be an Uchiha with a crow, but the bird looks white from here, like the mouse."

"It's definitely not a crow, or any kind of summon I think. It's held together by their chakra." Mito observed, shading her golden eyes from the sun.

"You can see it from here?" Tsunade asked. Mito nodded as she stared.

"Barely, but I can still sense them easily though."

"You're a sensor now too?"

"Yeah, did I forget to mention that?"

"I guess we will have a lot to go over… on the way back to the village." Mito smiled and nodded at that. She looked back behind her and shouted un-ninja like into the trees.

"I'll see you later Jugo sensei. You better come visit me in Konoha sometime." Tsunade couldn't hear a response, but the small smile on Mito's face showed she had gotten an answer.

"Let's go, we should probably try and see if there are any ships headed back to Wave tonight." Tsunade said, taking command. "I'm not looking forward to seeing what the council has to say about me coming back." She said, already hesitating at the thought of returning.

"Don't worry about them, I'm sure that the Hokage will think of something. You are one of his beloved students after all."

"You obviously don't know the council," Tsunade said forlornly. "Let's go." With that, they began the trip back to the port town to catch a ship. "We'll have to pick up some clothes for you too." Mito looked down at her barely concealed form.

"It's not like I have the parts to be shy of anymore anyway," she said uncaringly.

"Well I don't think that it would be a good idea to show up back at the village nearly naked. It might not make for the best rumors, which there will inevitably be anyway.

* * *

The report that lay in front of Danzo was surprising to say the least, and it wasn't often that he was caught off guard. If it wasn't physically impossible, he would suspect his agent Saya of lying.

Returning from the dead was a rare occurrence, and it was hard to fool someone whom had faked his own death a few times himself. The disturbing part was that he had confirmed that Senju Mito was, in fact, dead. And yet, according to this report, she was alive again, and in the care of her older sister.

Danzo cursed Tsunade for abandoning the village, and the apparent gall that she thought they would simply welcome her back with open arms. Once a traitor, always a traitor. It had only been a day since Saya had sent the report via her fastest ink bird and mere minutes since he had received it. It should still take a few more days until Tsunade and Mito managed to return to the village.

The most shocking part was the fact that the freshly revived person was only a genin. If such a thing had happened to his best agent, Orochimaru, he would not be nearly so surprised. In fact, he doubted he would ever find convincing enough evidence to believe that such a resourceful man would ever die. Even if he were to confirm the body himself.

There wasn't a doubt in his mind that someday, Orochimaru would in fact, betray the village as well. He was still so useful though, and Danzo planned to get as much use out of him as possible. After that, he would need to be disposed of. Such a feat would take months, maybe years of preparation though. It was fortunate he had begun planning from the moment the Sannin had joined his organization.

He had no delusions that Hiruzen would turn either of the Senju women away, and if he couldn't stop them politically, then he would just have to do it physically. He didn't have many agents capable of taking down a Sannin, especially now that she had recovered from her depression and self-pity.

Danzo laced his fingers together, trying to think of a plan. Orochimaru might obey him if he sent him after his own teammate, but he was worried about what the man would do with the girl if he gained possession of her. The most likely outcome would be a large battle where the girl was utterly destroyed, due to being pushed to extremes by Tsunade's power.

This would be a lie of course, and supposedly even Orochimaru couldn't lie to him. But the man was an expert in seals, and nothing would stop him from his ambitions of becoming an immortal. Such a subject as Senju Mito would be invaluable to the snake Sannin's research, and Danzo couldn't allow that.

The most important thing at this point would be to prevent Orochimaru from obtaining the girl. Of course that is second only to preventing him from discovering her, but Danzo wouldn't be deluded into thinking that he could prevent that, only postpone it.

He had a few options. To destroy the girl, which in the long run could weaken the village if she ever became an S-ranked asset, which she inevitably would. To attempt to capture her without revealing that he was part of the leaf. Or, to allow her to return to the village, where he might eventually be able to twist her to his cause. According to Saya, she was still unwaveringly loyal to the village, for now.

Allowing her return would put her under the protection of Konoha again, and Orochimaru wouldn't be able to make any moves against her without betraying the village himself.

But such a thing could be used to his advantage. Danzo knew himself better than anyone else, and his greatest weapon wasn't his secret army, it was his patience and intelligence. In time, the girl would become his asset, and with the support of a Senju, he could become Hokage.

Danzo wasn't sure when Orochimaru would betray the village, but he would eventually take the bait, and that is when Danzo would deal with him. The moment when success was within grasp was the moment even the strongest of warriors let their guard down. Except himself of course.

In a burst of flame, Saya's report was turned to ash on his desk. He made a motion with a finger, not taking his hands out of their laced position. A shadow appeared from the darkness, revealing itself to be a man, crouched in submission before his master.

"Recall Saya, and tell her to report to me the moment she returns." After a pause he added. "And I would like you to personally investigate a man named Jugo. I'll send you a dossier within the hour. Also, do not underestimate this man, or boy rather. I have a feeling there is much more to him than meets the eye."

"He won't be able to keep any secrets from these eyes," his agent replied, the red glow of the Sharingan swirling in the darkness beneath the man's hood.

"I will not accept anything less," Danzo said. With an almost indiscernible flicker of chakra, the man was gone.

Wolf would not fail him, his power was nearly on the level of Orochimaru himself, but Danzo wasn't worried about him. The Uchiha always fell to the same enemy. Pride.

* * *

Author's Note:

The person of discussion(on my part) in this chapter is Jugo. Of course he shares the same name as a canon character, and even has demonstrated some of the same abilities. The abilities are really the only reason I decided to link him with the canon character at all instead of just making an OC. I felt it would be to weird to have a character so similar but be unrelated. As you may have notice(definitely should have) he is very OOC when it comes to canon jugo in personality and abilities. Therefore he's the only one(that I am planning at the moment) to not show up in his canon place at some point. Also now you have a face to go with the name(both adult and child form).

Speaking of face to name, I am a horrible artist, and think it would be cool if one of you would draw a picture of Mito at some point. I know I havn't gone into great detail with her looks, as I like imagination to fill in that kind of thing. Here is a short description of how I see her in my head in her new body. Facial structure like a younger Tsunade(from the naruto flashbacks), hair like kushina but shorter and not perfectly straight, golden irises and a snarky attitude. I know that last bit isn't a physical trait, but if you draw me a picture it'd be cool to give her that look. I'll make sure to link it somehow despite how this site hates links.

On a more serious note.

I'll admit that I may be putting too many irons in the fire at once with this story. That doesn't mean that I'm going to stop, it just means I'm going to have a hard time keeping track of all the character's goals and making sure I add the right events at the right time. Over time when I notice such mistakes. I'll try and go back and fix them so new readers don't have the same issues the original ones did. But to you originals, sorry about that. I've read the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and the setup for his books was kinda similiar, except he didn't introduce so many aspects at once and managed to edit things one book at a time. If it wasn't for the fact that I do not have the motivation or the patience, I would write the entire story out first to make sure everything was perfect. But alas, it is a fanfiction after all.

Ironically enough, I've spent more time writing notes on the series lately than I have actually writing chapters. I could use a beta reader/editor, someone who's not afraid to have the entire plot spoiled for them for the sake integrity.

If you like the story, review/follow/favorite please. It helps motivate me.


	6. Reunited

(Last Edited 11-16-15)

The Growth of the Village Hidden in the Leaves

A Naruto Fan fiction

**Chapter 6 – Reunited**

The ship ride back to Wave was just as uneventful as the trip from it. Though going through the villages was a new experience for Mito, considering her new sensory abilities. She finally was beginning to realize how the Hyūga felt when they had their Byakugan turned on. It took quite a bit of concentration before leaving the port not to spy on every couple that were having private moments. Though she was a little jealous and grateful that she didn't have the detail that the Byakugan gave, but she could certainly tell when people were doing the nasty.

She didn't reveal any of this to Tsunade of course, she had seen her older sister's reactions to Jiraiya's peeping. It would probably be a good idea to keep it a secret and just let her sister make her own assumptions about the depth of her abilities.

Mito was just happy to be able to be jumping through the familiar trees of The Land of Fire. There were far too many evergreens in The Land of Noodles to be able to tree hop easily. Not that it was easy to do so with her new body anyway, it was difficult controlling her own strength. She had spent most of the trip to wave just trying to get her motor functions under control again.

She adjusted the cheap, poorly fitted clothes they had picked up earlier. She would've preferred to go without them. She didn't know where her modesty had gone, but also didn't care.

"So do you have a plan for when we get back to the village?" Mito asked. Tsunade didn't look back at her or answer immediately. They had avoided talking about that particular situation so far, but now it was only a few hours before they made it back.

"I figure I'll just tell the gate guards that I need to report to the Hokage, they shouldn't stop me," She said. "As for you, I figure that I'll tell them that you were on a secret mission for the Hokage, and must report to him before anything else."

"Sounds reasonable, as long as they don't think that I'm just some spy that's coming back with Konoha's most recent missing nin," Mito said. She didn't have to see Tsunade's face to know that she was scowling at her pessimism.

"I'm hoping they won't even suspect a spy of being stupid enough to imitate a seemingly known dead ninja. Worst case scenario, they take us into custody and Hiruzen comes and sees us anyway."

"I think the worst case scenario would be them attacking us on the spot," Mito said.

"Remind me to come to you if I ever need an opinion on worst case scenarios considering you seem to be the expert on it."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, the Hokage will figure everything out," Mito said casually.

They came to a stop in a break in the trees where a small stream babbled below them.

"Honestly, you'll be fine. It's my own situation that I'm more concerned about, I did technically disobey his orders right in front of the gate guards, so let's hope at the very least that they're not the ones on duty when we get back, assuming that the entire ninja corps doesn't know already."

She stopped staring off blankly and jumped down to the stream, and after taking a brief survey of the area, she reached down and splashed some water on her face. Mito landed next to her and cupped water to her mouth, drinking directly from the stream.

"Drinking water from the stream isn't sanitary," Tsunade said off handedly.

"I came from a tree remember, I'm pretty sure I can handle some river water. Heck, I could probably drink it just by sitting in the water. And as far as you returning to the village, you're a Sannin, you might get punished, but I don't think the village could afford to execute you or anything. They probably wouldn't even demote you."

The elder of the two let out a humorless grunt at her comment about the water, but didn't respond to the rest.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Mito began to concentrate on her sensory perception of the surrounding area. She could feel many animals, mostly underground, but also quite a few in the trees and some larger game farther south. She had determined that her range was around a mile, but after the first half mile, clarity began to reduce drastically. There was only one thing she could sense no matter where she was, and it was The Tree. No matter how far they traveled, its presence didn't fade.

It wasn't that she could feel it over the great distance though, only pinpoint the direction. The actual connection came from within, just as it had when her mind was inside the tree. Tsunade's voice broke her focus.

"Let's go, it'll only take a few more hours before we get back."

"I'll race you," Mito said hopefully, trying to dredge up some emotion out of her sister. Tsunade scoffed and smirked at her.

"Not only is it a bad idea to have the village guard see us charging in at full speed, but we both know you would end up crashing into a tree." Mito pouted and crossed her arms under her chest, she pointedly looked away from her elder sister and into the trees.

"I haven't hit one yet."

"Yet. We still have time to get back to the village." Tsunade jumped into the trees, not noticing the small smile that spread across Mito's face as she followed.

* * *

Sweat was almost poring off of Minato's face as he fell to his hands and knees before his sensei. Next to him, his teammate Hiashi wasn't faring much better. Jiraiya stood in front of them nonchalantly picking some food he had eaten during their spar out of his teeth before flicking it to the ground behind him.

"Could be better, but you are improving quite a bit, especially your teamwork. The two of you together might even be able to take down a chunnin." He said it like it wasn't anything special, but both Minato and Hiashi knew that Jiraiya deliberately underplayed their abilities to prevent them from becoming over confident.

Minato didn't have the breath to respond with a snarky comment, but he was sure that one was going through Hiashi's head as well.

"You two have mastered water walking right?" He didn't wait for an answer before continuing as he was already well aware they could. "Next time we'll do the same thing on the water." Recently their goal in their sparring against their sensei was to get him to move more than five feet from his original position.

Minato felt proud whenever they were even able to make him take a stance. He batted away most of their attacks like they were a particularly pungent smell rather than chakra enhanced blows that could easily break civilian bones, or even some other genin's for that matter.

It was the most humiliating when he didn't even bother blocking the attacks, just taking a punch to the gut without flinching before he flung them back thirty feet with a light push. Hiashi had received identical treatment, despite the utilization of his Gentle Fist. The first few times he had managed to land a strike to a tenketsu, Jiraiya had just stood there and smiled at him. Turns out that if you reinforce your skin enough with chakra, you can even block jūken strikes.

Hiashi had revealed to Minato in private that he had only ever witnessed his late father block jūken strikes like that. That was the point where they both realized that Jiraiya was on a different level than almost every other ninja in the village. What the Hyūga clan head had trained for specifically, a Sannin was capable of as a byproduct of his normal chakra reinforcement.

"Did you make any progress on that new seal I gave you two yesterday?" Jiraiya asked. He had regularly been assigning them homework on the subject, and while Minato was proving to be a prodigy, Hiashi was no slouch either. Minato took a few breaths before answering.

"I managed to decrypt the lock and defuse the trap, and I can almost recreate it, but I don't want it to explode again, so I'm taking it slow." At this he glanced at his hands, it had been months and the pink was finally almost gone, there was only a little bit left under his nails and in the creases between his fingers. Hiashi was always one step behind him, and he didn't doubt that it was at least semi intentional. He had saved himself many mistakes by learning from Minato's.

"I also have opened the seal without setting off the trap, but haven't managed to make a new one yet." Hiashi said. This was the only subject that he didn't mind being behind Minato in.

Jiraiya whipped out a scroll and ink brush with a smile on his face.

"Then I better make a new one for you two to lose sleep over tonight," their teacher said.

The boys didn't groan, they had found out that when they complained, any tasks they were given were harder than if they hadn't. Before Jiraiya could think up a new seal though, an Anbu in a brown cloak and a falcon mask appeared in a crouch behind Jiraiya. Jiraiya let out a sigh, and quickly tucked the brush and scroll into his sleeve.

"Hokage-sama has requested that you and your squad report to his office." Without another word, he disappeared in a shunshin of swirling leaves.

"Wonder what the geezer wants now," Jiraiya grumbled to himself. It had stopped surprising Minato and Hiashi that he spoke of their leader with such disrespectful words. After all, they did the same of him when he wasn't around. Most of the time.

* * *

The Hokage rubbed his temples and stared down at his desk. In front of him stood Tsunade and Mito. Tsunade had just finished explaining her account of the last few days, and it was one of the strangest stories Hiruzen had ever heard.

There was still some doubt that this was actually Mito standing in front of him, but he couldn't decide if her admittance that only her spirit was still the same made the situation better or not. The entire village had known of her death and many had shown up for her funeral after all. Those who witnessed Tsunade's grief wouldn't doubt that she had also believed her sister dead.

"Hiruzen?" Tsunade asked. He held a hand up in response to silence her.

"I need a moment to think. Jiraiya and your teammates," he said, looking towards Mito, "will be here in a few minutes. Until then… just let me think." Both stayed quiet in response. Hiruzen pulled out his pipe and was about to fill it with his usual favorite, but decided against it and pulled out another stash from one of his desk drawers. It would help him concentrate and relax.

Putting the facts of Mito's revival and new body aside, the biggest issue was how to use this situation to his advantage instead of hurting his public standing. It had been only two weeks ago that he had finally announced Tsunade's defection to the council. Many of them had suspected as much anyway, but he had led them to believe she was out on a mission.

Of course he would have to say that Mito's death was faked, but to hide such a fact even from her sister. A spy would be a generic, but reasonable excuse. Someone who was after Tsunade, or the Senju in general. Her depressed state would cause her to be unstable, something that any good spy would take advantage of.

The council feared that after Tsunade left the village, at best it would lessen their standing with the other villages. At worst she would join one of them, and give them information. He could tell them that this was exactly what he had been waiting for. Also coincidentally they had just discovered a spy working for Iwa yesterday as well. He would have to tie the two events together and say this was the result of that mission.

Excessive for rooting out a spy, but the man had been a ninja in the village for nearly a decade. Intel revealed that he had only defected around a year ago, but if he inflated that to nearly his entire service career, then such actions would be justifiable.

Hiruzen had previously felt it was unfortunate that the man had died in combat. They would never have the chance to interrogate him and find what information he had given to Iwa. Now though, it was almost the opposite. With the man dead, there was no way for the council to refute his claims that he had been after the Senju.

Of course, once they saw Mito, they would know right away that she was different. The Hyūga, Uchiha, and Inuzuka would know almost at a glance, or a whiff. Some things he wouldn't be able to cover up.

Hiruzen looked up at the standing girl, where she was staring off into the distance, undoubtedly utilizing her new sensory abilities. Jiraiya would be able to confirm it, but he highly suspected that she was now some kind of sage. How it had come to be, he had no clue, but considering she had apparently forced Tsunade to come back, she was hopefully still loyal to the village. Even if it was still the naïve loyalty of a child, and not the tempered loyalty of a veteran. A look of excitement crossed Mito's face. Hiruzen couldn't sense anything, but she had surely found a chakra that she recognized.

"I take from your disposition that your squad is almost here?" He asked her carefully after exhaling some smoke. Her eyes focused from beyond the window behind him to his face.

"It'll still be a minute or two, they aren't rushing or anything," she said. She had a decent range then. If she had the senses that Jiraiya reported having in sage mode, she would have been able to detect them anywhere within the village.

"Have you tried performing any jutsu since receiving your new body?" he asked. Mito shook her head in the negative.

"I still trip over my own feet from time to time. I've been performing some chakra control exercises, but I'm worse than when I was in the academy." At these words, Tsunade suppressed a chuckle and Mito glared back at her. Hiruzen spared his only female student a glance.

Her mood had changed drastically since her return, but he still couldn't just let her betrayal go unpunished. Yet if he was to say that her actions were part of his plan, then he couldn't publicly do so.

Tsunade made eye contact with him. She recognized the look in his eyes, and her chipper attitude evaporated. She stood at attention but didn't glare back like she usually would when she had earned his ire in some way. She was at least remorseful then.

"I will have to talk to the council today, until then I don't want you to reveal your return to the village," the Hokage said, looking back to Mito. "Your excuse that you were on a classified mission will hopefully be enough to hold the gossip until I do." Team 7 had just entered the range of his own senses, and would be here in a few moments. "There will be greater expectations of you when I reveal that this was an S-Rank mission that you performed, for you and your squad. The fact that you've lost some abilities, and gained others, should be kept a secret as well."

Mito nodded and took on a serious expression, at the mention of the S-rank mission a small smile started to creep across her face, but she kept it from developing into a grin.

"An S-rank mission?" Tsunade asked with worry in her voice. "If, no… when the other villages get wind of a genin squad trained by one of the Sannin successfully completing an S-rank." She didn't elaborate further. "They might even get entries in the bingo book." Once again Mito looked excited, not truly understanding what such a thing meant.

"It will have to be that way," Hiruzen said sternly. "When you left the village in such a fashion you gave me no other choice than to elevate it to this level. If not for your poor decision, I might have been able to restrain it to an A-rank." Tsunade didn't say anything more, but she did break eye contact.

"It'll be official right, on my record I mean?" Mito asked excitedly. Hiruzen nodded slowly and set his pipe on his desk. He really didn't feel like dealing with the rest of Team 7 right now.

"One more thing before your team enters. Don't let anybody realize that you have a new body yet, with the exception of your team of course." Mito frowned at this, but nodded. There was a knock at the door, and Hiruzen mentally prepared himself.

"Enter," he said calmly.

The door opened and Jiraiya came in the room, he noticed Tsunade first, who looked back at him with a weak glare.

"Tsunade, you're back al-," he choked on the last word when he looked over and saw Mito standing there, the biggest grin he had ever seen on her face. It only took the moment for Minato and Hiashi to come through the door for them to have similar reactions. If they weren't careful Hiruzen thought it might be possible they would literally shit themselves. After a moment of awkward silence Mito quickly raised her arms and made a short lunge towards the three.

"Boo!" she yelled. Minato and Hiashi both reacted visibly, both taking a step back and Hiashi actually falling onto his butt. Hiruzen took some humor out of the situation. He personally enjoyed the site of a terrified Hyūga a little too much.

"Mi- Mi- Mito," Minato stuttered. "Is… that really you." He asked. He was beginning to hyperventilate.

"In the flesh. Well, kinda anyway," she said with a short pause. She held open her arms in a welcoming gesture. Minato's eyes began to glaze over but before he could cry, he moved forward and embraced Mito in a firm hug. Hiruzen noticed the slow and careful way she wrapped her arms around the slightly taller boy.

Hiashi, still sitting on the floor, just stared at the two, while Jiraiya also just stared in shock. After a moment he looked between Hiruzen and Tsunade.

"This isn't some kind of joke?" Jiraiya asked, looking between the two. He stopped and looked at Tsunade for a moment before either had answered. Hiruzen could see he already had his answer for the small smile Tsunade had given Jiraiya. Something he never would have gotten if she still believed her sister to be dead. "It's not is it," he said to himself. He looked at Mito before stepping forward and embracing his two students.

"It's not really her," Hiashi said from his spot on the floor. "She's not even human." His Byakugan was active and he was staring intensely at Mito. Jiraiya looked back at the boy and took a step back to inspect Mito.

"What do you mean Hiashi?" Jiraiya asked, taking Mito's new eye color into consideration. Minato released Mito and turned to glare at Hiashi.

"What are you talking about you idiot, don't be so cruel," Minato said venomously. That's when he realized that Hiashi was using his doujutsu to inspect Mito and he took a small step back to look at her himself. Hiruzen cleared his throat loudly enough that everyone gave him their attention.

"There are some special circumstances regarding Mito's _new _body, which I will let her and Tsunade brief you on later." He raised a hand when Jiraiya opened his mouth. "Right now I am going to tell you what the official story is to be." Nobody in the office was standing at attention, but he could forgive them for their lack of military etiquette considering the circumstances.

"Mito has just returned from an S-rank mission, her objective of which was to fake her death. Your goals were simply to go with her on the mission and allow her to be killed. That was the first phase of the mission to lure out a spy. The second phase was to convince Tsunade and the rest of the village that her sister was dead. Once she was distraught enough we believed that the spy would approach her and influence her to betray the village. A team of my own selection, which included Mito, followed Tsunade, and were to apprehend the spy. Unfortunately he was killed in the ensuing battle. Mito revealed herself to Tsunade, after which they returned to the village. Thus was a semi successful completion of an S-rank mission. One which will go on all your records. This is also to give you an excuse as to why you cannot speak of it." Hiruzen took a moment to look over the group. "Do you all understand?" he asked, turning to look pointedly at Hiashi.

It took a moment, but everyone nodded.

"Good, I- no, Tsunade will write the mission report and I'll let you read it over before it's filed." He looked over at Mito and beckoned for her to come closer. "You'll need to conceal the fact that you're back in the village until I have a chance to announce this covert mission to the council. He reached down and pulled a badger mask he had been planning on presenting to his newest Anbu today. "This isn't a promotion, just to conceal your identity until I have a chance to deal with the political fallout."

Mito took the mask slowly, but eagerly. She bowed low and stepped back next to her sensei. Minato and Hiashi finally seemed to break out of their shell shocked states and stood next to her, glancing at her for a moment before looking back to the Hokage.

"Now then, you three are dismissed," the Hokage said to the genin. With quick steps they retreated out of the office. When the door closed Jiraiya looked back to his sensei, having watched his team, but more specifically Mito, leave the room.

"I really can't believe it," he said. "She was definitely dead, I carried her body all the way back myself." Tsunade frowned at the memory of the first time Jiraiya had explained this to her.

"Well believe it," Hiruzen said bluntly. "Like I said earlier, I'll let Tsunade and Mito explain the details to you. The short version is that due to the combined efforts of the tree you mentioned and this man named Jugo, Mito now has a new body. One that uses natural energy as our bodies use chakra, meaning, I believe, she is permanently in sage mode." Jiraiya looked shocked again.

"A permanent sage?" He asked disbelievingly. "I've never even heard of such a thing."

"Well not only are you going to witness it first hand, but you'll be responsible for training her to use her new abilities too. Not only as her sensei, but as the only sage in the village, you are responsible for her."

"That tree really did this to her?" Jiraiya asked. Hiruzen just sighed and closed his eyes for a second before looking back.

"As I have already said, Tsunade and Mito will explain this more. Now please, I now have even more work to do. You are both dismissed." Tsunade and Jiraiya both bowed quickly following the genin.

Tsunade gave Jiraiya a short shove when he didn't walk through the door fast enough for her tastes.

With another sigh, Hiruzen made a hand signal and the falcon masked Anbu appeared before him in a crouched bow.

"Summon Danzo," he said shortly. The Anbu nodded quickly and disappeared. He couldn't forbid Danzo from trying to enlist Mito without at least telling him that she was back. He wouldn't be foolish enough to believe his counterpart didn't already know of her revival.

Addressing the issue directly would make it so he couldn't feign ignorance in the upcoming meeting, as well as stopping him from approaching the girl while using the excuse that he hadn't been prohibited from doing so. By giving him a direct order to avoid contact with her he would hopefully be able to prevent as many of the man's manipulations as possible.

That would be the easy part. Once he was done with Danzo, he would convene a full council meeting. He just wanted the day to be over already.

* * *

Orochimaru had long ago tapped into the barrier seal that encompassed Konoha. The same one that alerted the sensor division to any and all who entered or left the village. So his surprise was feigned when Hiruzen had informed him that Tsunade had returned. What had truly surprised him was that Mito had returned as well.

He had of course attended the funeral for the youngest Senju, even collected a sample for his research, but to think that she was capable of returning from death. He was on his way through the village now to see it for himself.

He felt that it would be best to restrain his curiosity, to happen across the girl at a more inconspicuous time. But he couldn't resist. His blood boiled with the excitement that the Senju had a way to surpass death, and in a way that there was no required body modification.

He had recently created a jutsu capable of regenerating his body, or more accurately, creating a copy of his own body. It allowed him to survive anything short of an instant killing blow, and fully recover after a single, chakra intensive technique.

What this Senju had done though, had far surpassed his current abilities. She had been dead, and was still technically dead according to village records. He had sent a snake to check her grave, but it was still untouched since her burial, meaning the body was still rotting in the casket.

A malevolent smile unbefitting of the snake Sannin spread across his face. He only suppressed it when he realized that some of the civilians he was passing were beginning to give him a wide berth.

Then there was the fact that according to the gate guard's reports, Mito and Tsunade had entered the village at the same time. Even when he double checked the official records, not only his copies, but the sensor division's logs also, it only showed that Tsunade's chakra passed through the barrier.

The fact that she could bypass the barrier, and that Hiruzen must also know this, intrigued him. His sensei was not obligated to let him know of all matters of village security, but a defect in the village's security seals was something they had discussed before. True, Jiraiya was more versed in such seals, but it was telling.

His sensei might finally have started to doubt his intentions.

It was about time. For such a wise old man, he was far too ignorant of some things. All ninja should hold cynicism as a virtue, but the old man put too much faith in those he was emotionally attached to.

Sensing his teammates up ahead, he let his usual scowl fall back into place, and it wasn't forced. Of course the fools would be at the disgusting ramen place. He could sense Jiraiya's students Hiashi and Minato as well.

Orochimaru's next step faltered, he couldn't sense the young Senju, and he wasn't willing to join them if the target of his curiosity wasn't present. Why wouldn't she be with her team after returning and reporting in? Surely Tsunade wouldn't leave her alone so soon after returning to the village, and he could hear his teammates' voices. Tsunade was happy, and wouldn't be so if her sister had been ordered to T&amp;I or moved to another location, neither would Jiraiya for that matter, and his boisterous laughing was echoing obnoxiously out of the ramen stall.

After listening carefully, he was able to pick out an additional voice. It was Mito, without a doubt, the damn girl was sitting in there and he couldn't sense her. Normally anybody, especially a genin, avoiding is senses he had worked so long to sharpen, would infuriate him. This girl though was able to remain hidden even now that he knew she was in there, he could pick out her exact location from the sound of a voice and he still couldn't sense her chakra.

His smile began to spread again before he schooled it, he had already hesitated too long, and if either of his teammates had noticed, they might become suspicious. Stepping into the stall he looked at the group before him, they were all seated next to each other, with the only remaining seat being the one on the left end next to Jiraiya. At least he wouldn't have to sit between any children.

At his entry the group turned around to look at him, they didn't shout to greet him, but instead fell silent. The only one who kept smiling was Jiraiya, who was kind enough to greet his rival and teammate.

"Hey, what're you doing here? I thought you hated ramen?" Jiraiya asked, but motioned to the seat next to him enthusiastically anyway. Orochimaru didn't answer until he had taken a seat.

"I just got back from a meeting with sensei, he told me Tsunade and another had returned and I had to see it for myself." At this he pointedly looked between Tsunade and Mito, who was wearing a hooded cloak and an ANBU mask, which was atop her head acting more as a visor as she drank a cup of water.

"That's right! I'm back and ready to kick butt," Mito said quickly. She had always been kind to Orochimaru, and while he appreciated the conscious effort she took to avoid ousting him, her discomfort was still apparent. Tsunade gave him a thoughtful glance before smiling back at him. Jiraiya raised a signaling hand between the group.

"I feel I should remind all of you that we shouldn't speak badger's name until the old man has a chance to iron out the details to the council." At this he looked at ramen chef Teruggi and his son Teuchi. "This includes the two of you also." They nodded in agreement but didn't falter in their preparation of the food.

Orochimaru took a moment to consider the two chefs, they had never really been outgoing or talkative, at least while he was here. Though considering their clientele, it wouldn't surprise him if they knew more village secrets than they had a right to.

Hiashi and Minato had both been silent since the snake Sannin had entered the stall, only paying attention to their food.

He wasn't worried at the discomfort or mistrust the younger ninja gave him, most of the village acted this way.

Jiraiya, who was a fool, was the only one who actually treated him as a friend. Tsunade treated him like a trusted teammate, but he could see over the years that her trust in him had begun to wane, even if he hadn't given her any reason. It just goes to show how stupid the old man was if even one of his teammates had legitimate trust issues with him. Teuchi walked up to him and hesitated only a moment before asking his question.

"Will you be having anything to eat today Orochimaru-sama?" He asked, though he apparently already suspected the answer. Orochimaru had visited this stall several times with his team, but had never ordered a dish after the first time.

"No thank you," Orochimaru said, leaving it at that. Teuchi looked uncomfortable before moving back to stirring broth. The uncomfortable silence was obstructed only by the sounds of Namikaze slurping the broth out of his bowl.

Orochimaru gave a small sneer at the display, one which went unnoticed by the rest. Except for Tsunade.

"Why are you here Orochimaru?" She asked bluntly. There was no kindness in her voice like what he had heard before he had entered the stall. His teammate was perceptive, she knew that curiosity was what drove him, and only the ignorance of the children and the guise of friendship he had with Jiraiya kept the others from noticing.

Jiraiya looked cross at her tone and was about to speak up in his friends defense when she interrupted him.

"And don't say it's for the food or company."

Jiraiya looked angry, but then when he noticed just how defensive she was acting, and the circumstances with Mito, he became curious also.

Orochimaru cursed Tsunade's bluntness, she was the only one Jiraiya would really listen too without thinking things through first. It wouldn't do for him to begin to doubt him as well. He decided the best thing to do was to be honest, while holding his true desires back of course.

"I was at the funeral, I was just curious to see if she was really back or not. It's not often we have a ninja return from a mission who's status was changed to KIA."

"Well I hope your curiosity is satisfied with this," she said. Mito looked between her sister and Orochimaru with surprise, she apparently hadn't realized that they weren't on great terms anymore.

Orochimaru met Mito's eyes for the first time, they weren't the same as when he had seen her last. They were now a bright golden color, and they even glowed a little beneath her hood. He also noticed the tone of her skin was lighter. He looked at her hands and noticed they were also whiter, even whiter than his own skin.

She didn't have any food in front of her. If he recalled correctly, she also had a penchant for the repulsive food that was ramen. All she had was the nearly empty glass of what had been full of water. He looked at the rim of the cup for a moment.

Tsunade noticed the looks and Orochimaru looked back at her as he felt her ire. She knew what he was curious about, and to the lengths he went to sometimes to satisfy his curiosity. She knew a little anyway. If the med ninja had known the true extent of his research, she would no doubt attack him on the spot, as would many other ninja in the village.

"Come on badger, it's getting late," Tsunade said, not breaking eye contact with Orochimaru. "You'll be able to see these guys again tomorrow." She walked out of the tent, and Mito hesitated before following. She had apparently felt Orochimaru's looks as well and was uncomfortable, and so didn't argue with her sister.

"We'll walk back part way with you." Hiashi volunteered, following Mito out. He was quickly followed by Minato. The treatment was something he was all too used to, so he didn't even feel the slightest negative feeling at the outcome of their meeting. What these children thought of him was what everyone thought, the difference was, this time, they were probably right in their assumptions.

Now it was only himself and Jiraiya, who was looking at him in a combination of irritation and curiosity.

"Ya know, now really isn't the best time to be acting all creepy," he said. "What's going on with you?" Orochimaru didn't deign to answer the question. Instead he got up from his stool which had just began to warm and moved back into the darkness of the street. He half expected Jiraiya to follow him, as he usually would after such a nasty encounter, but was pleasantly surprised when the man just stayed seated in the stall.

Orochimaru looked down the street at the two Senju and their group, and Tsunade turned to glare at him as they walked. He simply smiled at her and moved off in the opposite direction.

A small snake slithered out of his pant leg, one that would be able to collect a saliva sample from Mito's cup once Jiraiya vacated the stall. There wasn't a chance the civilians would notice his summon.

He jumped to the roof, a smile once again adorning his face as he began to theorize the results he might get from the sample.

* * *

Wolf crouched in a tree overlooking the valley he had followed his target to. Having finally caught up with him previously in the day, he had put up with observation for the last six hours. The moonlight illuminated the clearing before him, and his target was right in the middle of it.

The orange haired boy hadn't indicated that he sensed his Root follower. If he had been detected, Danzo would surely put him through supplementary stealth training. The only irritating part of that is there was no doubt that he could easily succeed in any such training, and it would only be a waste of time he could otherwise use to work on his other weaknesses.

Wolf was not unique among the Uchiha in the fact that he acknowledged his weaknesses, but it was a trait that few of his clansmen recognized would even deign to acknowledge. The constant humbleness Wolf had in his own abilities was the only secret he kept from his master, but it was that same trait that he felt caused him to be the most successful ninja in root, excluding the genius snake Sannin.

His current doubt revolved around whether he was making the right decision in letting the boy meditate for so long. It had been nearly four hours since his target last moved. He had circled around several times to make sure it wasn't a genjutsu, as he knew he wasn't immune to them even with his Sharingan, or some other trap.

In his observations he noticed that the boy was slowly recovering chakra, something that only Kage class ninja could usually achieve through meditation. For most, sleep or supplementary medication was the only way to easily recover the body's energy.

He decided that it had been long enough, and he should approach the boy now before he was fully recovered to collect some information. First through diplomatic means, then by force if needed, which it almost always was.

He performed the hand seal to create a shadow clone. It was a risky use of half his chakra, but as long as it wasn't destroyed before he could recover its chakra, its use would be worth the cost. If all went to plan, the clone would return to him before any combat was necessary, replenishing his reserves and collecting the clone's memories.

He left the clone in his original position and moved to find another hiding spot where he could get a second perspective on the coming confrontation, and act as support if needed. Once he was in position and well hidden, he sent a mild ripple through his chakra, something only his clone could detect.

The cloaked and masked Wolf clone landed in the small, just close enough that the boy should be able to detect him and still believe he had time to react. When this elicited no reaction, the clone began to walk forward at a steady but non-threatening pace. In a few moments he was standing only fifteen feet from the boy, who still didn't move from his lotus position, or even acknowledge the clone's presence.

The clone stood there for a moment, not expecting the total lack of response. Shuffling in his standing position, not in discomfort, just to make some additional noise in case he had approached too quietly.

"I know you're there," Jugo said. "Why have you been following me?" Both Wolf and his clone were mildly taken aback at the question, the boy had known after all.

"I would like some information from you," the clone stated.

"I'm not inclined to answer any questions," the boy said defiantly, but not defensively.

"Then you realize I will have to use force to get it from you?" the clone continued, this approach had never worked on anybody but civilians anyway, so it wasn't surprising.

"I can sense that you've handicapped yourself by splitting your chakra in two. This clone technique has some advantages I'm sure, but your combat potential seems to be severely decreased when you only have half your chakra, as significant as it seems to be." Jugo said, opening his eyes for the first time in hours. The clone took this as the signal to initiate combat, but instead of attacking, it retreated with the ultimate goal of returning its chakra to the original.

During his clones retreat, Wolf threw a probing kunai at the boy to move him from the location between himself and his clone. Jugo still didn't move, and the kunai impacted his shoulder and bounced off with the sound of metal impacting stone.

This didn't take Wolf by surprise, he had seen such a technique before from earth type ninjutsu specialists. He didn't bother leaving an illusory clone in his position as he rendezvoused with his shadow clone, the boy had demonstrated himself to being an exceptional sensor, and was now on full alert.

The target didn't try and stop either the original or his clone from placing their hands together, where Wolf reclaimed his chakra.

"My only goal is to give a demonstration of my abilities for you to report to your master, of whose identity I'm not concerned with," Jugo said. Wolf was disturbed at this, but as with the rest of his emotions, he didn't show it.

"Why would you display your abilities only for me to report," Wolf asked. What he didn't mention was the fact that unless he had a bloodline limit or special tools, he would be able to steal his techniques and demonstrate them for Danzo.

"That should be obvious. I want everyone to know who I am, and the fact that I am the greatest threat in the nations." These words were spoken as fact, not in boast. Danzo would certainly be interested in this information, if the words were even slightly true.

With a surge of chakra to his eyes, Wolf's Sharingan activated, giving off a slight glow from the eye holes of his mask. With a second and greater surge, his eyes transformed once again, forming the Mangekyou Sharingan. He was the first Uchiha in his clan he knew of since Madara to have activated this stage of the Sharingan.

He observed Jugo channeling a large amount of chakra as he slowly formed a long sequence of hand seals. Wolf didn't need his bloodline to memorize the seals at the pace they were performed, but it wasn't until the last two that he realized that this wasn't a ninjutsu he could replicate. It was a summoning jutsu. He threw a set of lightning enhanced kunai at Jugo, hoping to interrupt the final seal and prevent the summoning.

Jugo merely leapt to the side, and finished the sequence, having sensed the chakra enhanced projectiles. There was an explosion of smoke, followed with a second explosion not caused by the summoning jutsu. Wolf could see through the smoke with his Sharingan, revealing to him the creature that had been called to the field.

The summon was large and humanoid in appearance, something Wolf had never seen nor heard of, with the exception of the monkey summons he knew the Third Hokage to possess. What surprised him the most, even more than the malevolent aura that pervaded the area, was the fact that at the moment of summoning the creature's weapon lashed out at Jugo with what was undoubtedly killing intent.

"You have the nerve to summon me after all this time? I thought you would've died off long ago," said a booming voice through the smoke. As the wind swept through the clearing it was more easily observed. Something that looked like a man wearing armor that covered every part of his body. It was black as night and had deadly points at his joints, and the helmet had three peaks that made it triple the height of a normal helmet.

A sword ten feet long, with jagged edges and wear that indicated it was heavily used, and abused. Though no normal man would be able to wield such a weapon, it was held like it was weightless in the giant's hand.

He stood at nearly fifteen feet high, and didn't acknowledge Wolf's presence in the slightest.

"What's with that form? You should know that I could smear the ground with your corpse easily in such a condition," The giant said.

"I summoned you hear to give a demonstration of your strength," Jugo said from the other side of the being. Wolf could no longer see him, but considering the summon appeared to be an enemy of even his summoner, it didn't seem like it mattered as much. He could see during the Jutsu that this one summon had taken more than half of Jugo's chakra.

"You think you can give me orders?" The giant shouted in anger, killing intent emanating from him in waves. Wolf suppressed a shudder at the feeling.

"Of course not, I simply desire that you destroy everything, as long as that includes the man behind you as well, I don't care if you go after me too." At this the giant turned his head and looked back at Wolf. When their eyes met, a similar but altogether different red glow emanated from the single V-Shaped eye slit, Wolf knew that this would be a fight unlike any he had participated in before.

"You have the eyes of a demon as well," he said, turning his whole body to face Wolf, disregarding Jugo. "This is interesting, it has been a long time since I battled with someone like you."

"Who are you?" Wolf asked hesitantly. He had already tried to put the summon in a genjutsu the moment their eyes had locked, and determined that even Tsukuyomi was useless.

His instincts told him to flee, he had information that would please Danzo, but there was obviously much more here that needed to be discovered. If a fight broke out, even if this creature was strong, he didn't doubt that he would be able to escape.

"Me?" the creature boomed. "I am but a lowly demon soldier. If you can impress me, I will deem you worthy of hearing my lord's name and title." He looked around the area, Jugo had escaped the moment he had turned his back on the boy. "Little coward is gone already. Well, I suppose he'll get what he wants this time. You better not disappoint me."

The demon drew his sword back, preparing to strike. Even more adrenaline coursed through Wolf's body as he saw the projected attack with his Sharingan. He wouldn't be able to outrun the wave the slash created.

With a quick set of hand seals he sank into the ground, feeling the rumbling above as the attack swept through his last location. He quickly evacuated the area as the giant weapon tore the earth apart with an explosion, its force greater than his strongest exploding tag. He surfaced behind where he had last seen a tree, only to find that every tree in the area had been cut down by the circular attack the demon had started with.

"Your one of those slippery ones too," the demon yelled angrily. "I won't let you escape!" He reached behind himself and pulled out a relatively small device. It had the appearance of a stake, and was around two feet long. With a surge of energy that Wolf didn't recognize, the device pulsed, and purple lines traced themselves from the top to the bottom.

The demon slammed the device into the ground, where it released a small shockwave that coursed through the entire area. This was Wolf's sign that it was time to escape. He had never witnessed any summon using such tools before, but it sure didn't seem like a good idea.

Right as he turned to flee, a purple dome the same shade as the traced lines on the stake fell over the field. For the first time in years, Wolf felt the beginnings of panic. He could see where the barrier met the ground, and that it extended underground as well.

In a rush of wind the demon was upon him, giant blade sweeping from the side with unstoppable force. Without hesitation wolf pulled out his strongest defense, Susanoo. He didn't have time to materialize the entire upper body like he was capable of, only a few ribs before he was attacked.

The Demon's blade cracked the ribs and sent him flying to the side, crashing into the barrier. The debris that had also been launched into the barrier was instantly incinerated. Only the nearly shattered remains of his Susanoo saved him from having an identical end. The demon only stood for a moment, looking over to where wolf lay in the rubble.

"I'm surprised you were able to take that, and I'm sure the moment this barrier is down you'll try and escape. So I'm going to destroy you before then," The demon said. Wolf looked over to the stake, it was quickly running out of energy. He suspected it was a tool usually used in defense, but served useful in trapping opponents also. He had probably fifteen seconds left until the dome dissipated. Far too long.

The demon rushed at him again, but this time Wolf was ready. He performed a kawarimi with a log on the other side of the battlefield, and before the technique was even over, he finished the seals for his strongest fire jutsu. "Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction!" he shouted, enhancing its effect.

A torrent of flame speared towards his target whom, unknown to Wolf, smiled beneath his helmet. The demon raised his blade with both hands and in a single, earth shattering blow, sent a shockwave towards the oncoming fire attack. Wolf already had the full extent of his green Susanoo deployed, the entire upper torso developed with a chakra blade in each hand. He dodged the shockwave by jumping to the side as it sliced his strongest flame jutsu in half.

The demon rushed up alongside the flames and intercepted Wolf with unanticipated speed, swinging his behemoth of a sword in an upward slash. Wolf crossed both his Susanoo's blades in an attempt to block the attack, and succeeded, but not without being launched up in the air and impacting the top of the dome.

The demon jumped up, surely intending to knock wolf back down to the ground, but before he could, Wolf performed another shunshin and reappeared directly below the demon and his exploding Susanoo. In just a few moments his chakra was down to half of his full capacity. Spending another quarter, he performed the only earth jutsu capable of buying him the remaining seconds he needed for the dome to run out of energy. "Earth Release: Moving Earth Core!"

Even though the ground hadn't stopped rumbling from the strength of the demon's jump, it shook even more when a large area sunk into the ground until the bottom of the barrier was visible. A moment later, the demon fell from his attack into the pit, slashing down atop Wolf during his descent.

With another shunshin Wolf moved to the edge of the dome right as the stake lost its power. He was very low on chakra, and had long since shed his cloak and lost his mask, revealing his pale Uchiha skin and black hair. He cursed out loud, not regretting his loss of emotional control as he noticed how slowly the dome was fading, and from the top down to make things worse. It would take two or three more seconds than he had guessed before he could escape.

A cloud of smoke erupted out of the pit following the demon like a trail. Quickly covering the distance between Wolf and himself, he raised his blade and prepared to crush the Anbu, who stood his ground, preparing to shunshin at the last possible moment.

The demon swung prematurely, surprising wolf. He could see the projected attack, as well as his oncoming death, but wasn't fast enough to avoid it. The demon threw its blade through the air so quickly it broke the sound barrier, leaving a shockwave behind it. It was too late to dodge, even to perform a shunshin.

The blade cut threw Wolf, severing his body in two from right shoulder to left hip. A cloud of smoke engulfed the area where the demon had struck down the Root Anbu, but it had seen the blood streak across the ground, showing the success of its killing blow.

The demon's landing cleared away the smoke, and revealed its evil blade more than half buried in the ground. Wolf's body lie in two halves on either side.

"You did surprisingly well for a human, but unfortunately for you, I've fought someone with your abilities before." The demon ripped its blade out of the ground and watched as the dome disappeared completely. "Hopefully the next time the coward summons me, it'll be at least this satisfying of a battle."

The demon was just about to release the chakra that held it to this place when the body of Wolf faded like a mirage. It looked around and shouted in anger, a sound that was still loud despite the fact that Wolf was now outside visible range of the monster. He removed his hand from his bloody left eye, revealing to the world its faded appearance, instead of mirroring the three tomoe Sharingan in his right eye.

He had sacrificed his left eye to perform Izanagi, his dead brother's left eye, in order to escape the demon. He felt like he was going to pass out at any moment, but the most important thing was survival. He had killed his best friend for Danzo, his brother. He had even taken his eyes as his own. He was willing to live and die for Danzo, but he would not fail him. Dying right now would certainly be a failure if he didn't report this event.

The Demon was certainly a threat, just as most summons were. But the fact that Jugo had summon him only as a demonstration, and that it had admitted to only being a soldier serving a greater lord was of even greater concern. There was also the fact that his escape was part of Jugo's plan, and he had barely done so.

Wolf would deliver this information to Danzo, even if he had to mutter it with his dying breath.

* * *

Authors Notes:

Three things to talk about this chapter.

I always though it was weird that other villages had access to mission records of the other villages. But I finally figured out a good reason, maybe it had been explained at some point, but I don't remember. It needs to be at least a little bit public knowledge of a teams accomplishments, how else are the employers supposed to know how successful the team is. It wouldn't be hard for other villages to collect information that was given to civilians/organizations.

Next is the reason why Mito isn't able to be sensed by others. Some of you may understand already, but sensing generally revolves around chakra. Because Mito doesn't have standard chakra, she can't be sensed with it. If Orochimaru had been a sage on the other hand, then he could probably have sensed her.

Last is my personal opinion of say the name of a jutsu when its performed. I feel that it isn't necessary to say a jutsu's name to perform it, but doing so will enhance it's effect. Kinda like count a beat when playing music, it isn't needed, but it helps if you need it. Maybe thats a bad example. The main reason I think this way is because I think it would be stupid for every jutsu to be said aloud in order to perform it. Just look at canon naruto, how many times has he actually caught someone by surprise by shouting out "Shadow Clone Jutsu" after jumping out of his perfectly good hiding spot.

If theres ever anything you don't understand just send me a PM and I'll try and explain my thought process on the matter. I hope you liked this chapter, sorry if the first heavy combat scene was lacking at all. Thanks for reading this far, I hope you'll move onto the next chapter now.


	7. Reveal

(First Revision Posted 11-16-15)

Author's Note: One small thing before you read this chapter. If you've been reading my story for a while now, you'll need to know that I removed Kushina from the ramen stand section of the last chapter. I had initially made the meeting between Mito and Kushina an assumed event, but realized its importance later on. She didn't play a role other than sitting there eating ramen anyway. If this story was only brought to your attention by the addition of this chapter, then you will not know what I'm talking about.

Read on and enjoy.

The Growth of the Village Hidden in the Leaves

A Naruto Fan fiction

**Chapter 7 – Reveal**

Mito walked down the street with Hiashi and Minato in the Anbu garb she had been given. Some of the civilians were giving her funny looks, and it took her a while to realize that it was because Anbu were almost never seen in public, or at all actually.

She didn't want to speak with so many people nearby, afraid someone might recognize her voice. She suspected the Hokage wouldn't be pleased if people figured out she was back before he had the chance to figure things out.

Instead of speaking, she made a hand signal for her teammates to follow, and jumped up onto the roof. They followed close behind as they moved towards their usual training ground for their first morning team exercise in a long time.

She landed on a roof with a crunch and she realized with a mild amount of horror that she'd broken a tile. She'd been roof jumping for a few years now and she'd never broken one before.

She recalled Tsunade telling her that she was heavier than before back when they'd met in the temple. She hadn't put much thought into it except for a healthy dose of denial until now.

Mito was horrified to hear what sounded like a chortle come from Minato. She turned and gave him her best death glare through the badger mask she was wearing. He seemed to get the hint not to say anything.

Mito's attention was drawn to the crowd below, where the people were avoiding a person like a sea of fish around a predator. Except the predator in this case was a familiar girl with red hair. What was shocking was the input her new senses were giving her. She'd sensed the strong chakra moving around the village previously, but had figured it was just a jonin with a ton of chakra. Instead it was her best friend Kushina.

Minato had noticed the girl as well, and Mito was a little happy to see the sad expression on his face at the reaction the people of Konoha gave her Uzumaki relative. She was glad to see Minato felt the same as herself when it came to that matter. But now everything seemed a little different. When before she'd just seen a girl whom the villagers shunned for no apparent reason, now to her new senses it was a chakra monster walking among ants.

She did a quick survey of the village to confirm her suspicions. When she was done she realized Kushina had the biggest chakra reserve of anyone in the village, surpassing the Hokage by almost 25%. Of course she'd known Kushina had a large chakra reserve, but not to this extent.

Still, with as large as Kushina's chakra pool was, it was almost like it was just a layer hiding something bigger below. She could tell something else was there, but not much more than that. Something was preventing her from sensing any further.

Putting those thoughts to the side, she jumped down into the street, which was on the opposite side she and her teammates had jumped up from. She made her way to Kushina and the girl noticeably cheered up at the sight of Minato, barely sparing Mito and Hiashi a glance.

"Hi Minato." She said happily, no trace of her previous expression or feelings.

"Hey Kushina," Minato replied. There was a little bit of an awkward moment, like the two wanted to say more but didn't feel comfortable doing so in their present company.

"Are you on your way to train as well?" Kushina asked, sounding like it was a generic fallback line. She gave the disguised Mito and Hiashi a look.

"Yeah, but doesn't your team usually meet up at 8? You still have more than an hour," Minato asked curiously. Kushina looked at the ground and blushed a tiny amount, something Mito realized, as a fellow ginger, wouldn't have shown for anyone of normal skin complexion.

"Well I just thought I'd go for a walk beforehand." Kushina gave Mito another look, not realizing the mischievous smile that was on the other side of the mask.

She was ready to get Kushina back with their usual prank exchange. Maybe Tsunade was right and coming back from the dead was a little too harsh, but it would all be fine by the end of the day.

Mito made the hand sign for [Follow], gave Minato a look, and jumped back onto the roof, with more finesse, and resumed her run to the training ground.

Kushina looked a little sad, she apparently thought their meeting was over, except Minato grabbed her hand and motioned for her to come with them. She looked down at his hand and was happy. This wasn't the first time they'd made skin contact, but it was the first time Minato had initiated it so casually.

Hiashi just rolled his eyes and went ahead, catching up to Mito quickly.

Mito smiled happily at the sight of Minato and Kushina. She'd known the girl had a bit of a crush on her teammate, but it seemed things had progressed a little while she'd been gone. She could sense Hiashi right behind her, with Minato and Kushina a little further back side by side.

Her smile faded away when she felt another person keeping pace in the shadows a few streets parallel to them. It was hard to tell, but the chakra seemed a bit familiar. She recognized the now familiar distortion that came with Anbu. The cloaks they wore, the same she wore now, were supposed to block sensors from detecting the Hokage's agents. Except to Mito's Senjutsu senses it merely faded them like she was looking through frosted glass.

She disregarded it after a few moments, she supposed it would make sense that the Hokage would be keeping an eye on her. She didn't blame him. She also ignored the whispers shared between Minato and Kushina, one of which was the red head inquiring about the addition of the badger Anbu. Luckily for Mito's prank, Minato just gave a vague, uninformative answer.

They arrived at the training ground and Mito stopped and turned to the other three as they came to a stop as well. She thought about the best way to reveal herself to Kushina when she remembered that if the Anbu saw her reveal her identity, he or she would probably report it back to the Hokage. She looked in the Anbu's general direction as she pondered, and wasn't too surprised to notice the spike of surprise in the Anbu's chakra as she looked in its direction.

What did surprise her was the hasty retreat they made shortly after, heading back into the village. Was she really not supposed to know the person was there? She specifically remembered having explained to the Hokage that she was a sensor now. It was a bit suspicious, but worked out for what she was about to do anyway.

She motioned to her teammates and Kushina to come closer. Kushina seemed a little wary, but acted as if she were following orders. Mito didn't have much of a plan for this prank, she would get the surprise she wanted out of her friend one way or another, it was best not to antagonize her first. Not too much anyway. Mito cleared her throat and spoke through the voice distortion seal in the mask.

"You pranked me a while ago and I haven't had a chance to get you back for it until now. Are you ready?" Mito asked ominously.

Kushina looked even more nervous than before, but didn't respond.

Mito reached up and gripped her hood and mask slowly. She could see the disbelief on Kushina's face when she realized the Anbu was about to reveal her identity.

Mito quickly pulled the mask and hood down, revealing her face to her longtime friend.

Kushina's face morphed from mild surprise to a flurry of shocked emotions Mito didn't have time to recognize. A few seconds went by and Kushina still didn't say anything, just looking stunned.

At the lack of any verbal reaction Mito threw her arms to the side in a display of showmanship and yelled, "guess who's back!"

Kushina recoiled, but instead of responding she looked to Minato, then even to Hiashi. Neither seemed to know how to react towards Mito's actions either, but they obviously weren't feeling the same emotions as Kushina.

Mito let her arms fall to her sides and her smile faded at the undesired response.

"Come on Kushina, it's me. Mito." This time she said it a bit more gently, starting to think that maybe Tsunade was right after all.

"Mito?" Kushina asked finally, taking a small step towards the other red head. "Is it really you?"

"You want me to prove it?" Mito asked skeptically.

Kushina didn't answer, not knowing what to say and her common sense wasn't allowing her to believe this was really Mito.

Mito sighed. "Fine then. You've been shy around me for a long time but before I left on that mission we had gone to the hot spring together."

Kushina's face smoothed a little bit, but it apparently wasn't enough. Mito smiled as she continued.

"That's when I figured out you have a mole on your butt right here," she said, motioning to the spot on her own butt, "and a birthmark righ-".

Kushina's face quickly transformed from uncertainty to rage and she flew forward and covered Mito's mouth and pulling her hand away from the region she had been about to indicate. Her face was a bright red.

"I told you never to tell anyone!" She yelled, slowly lowering her hand from Mito's grin. Just as quickly as her previous emotional change, Kushina went from anger to tears. She surrounded Mito in a hug and cried quietly.

"Yeah… Well you kinda made me," Mito said kindly as she put her arms around the other girl, slowly stroking Kushina's back as she cried.

After a minute of this Kushina leaned back and inspected Mito's face more closely.

"Your even more pale than before," Kushina said, she frowned a little bit and placed a hand on Mito's cheek.

Mito resisted pulling the girl's hand away.

"How are you alive?" Kushina asked gently. "And why is your skin so smooth and perfect… and your eyes?" She asked a little less gently. Mito smiled back at her.

"Why? Are you jealous by any chance?" She asked playfully. Kushina thought over her response for a few moments.

"Answer my original question first," she said.

"How am I alive?" Mito reiterated. "Well that's an S-rank secret actually, but I think I'll be able to tell you eventually." Kushina frowned at this but didn't push.

"And your skin and eyes?" She asked skeptically.

"That's because I got a new body," Mito said in a matter of fact manner. She noticed Hiashi shaking his head in the background and Minato frowning slightly. "Ah, and I guess that would be part of the S-rank secret I wasn't supposed to say anything about." Mito looked a little sheepish now. "Don't worry though. The Hokage told me to tell my teammates, which I did, so I'll ask if I can give you the details next time I see him.

"What do you mean you got a new body?" Kushina pressed. Mito took a moment to think of how much she should reveal before answering.

"Well you were at my funeral right?" Mito asked. Kushina nodded. "Well what they buried really was me, but due to some of those details I can't tell you yet, I now have a new body. The thought of her old body rotting in a grave went through her head for a moment, sending a shiver up her spine.

Kushina had a quizzical look on her face, like she had a question but didn't know how to phrase it. Mito interrupted her before she had the chance.

"I have a question about your body though," Mito asked. Kushina blushed and looked back at the boys, both of whom quickly avoided eye contact.

"I think we should go somewhere else," Kushina said. Mito nodded and motioned for them to move to the side.

"We're going to start training," Minato said as he and Hiashi moved in the opposite direction.

When they were a safe distance away Kushina crossed her arms and asked, "This better not be about the birthmark." Mito chuckled and shook her head in the negative.

"No, it's about your chakra," she said. Mito was surprised at the guarded expression Kushina put on at the statement.

"What about it?" the other red head asked carefully.

"Well, I guess I'm going to have to reveal another portion of that S-rank secret after all. I'm trusting you not to tell anyone I've told you these things okay?" Kushina uncrossed her arms and nodded.

"You can always trust me Mito," Kushina said seriously. Mito smiled back at her in response.

"I know I can, that's why I told you that other stuff already. Well since I got my new body I've become a sensor, a pretty good one if I say so myself," Mito said proudly. "And one thing I noticed about you today that I've never realized before is just how much chakra you have." Kushina took on the guarded look again, but Mito continued. "It's a ridiculous amount, more than anyone else in the village, even the Hokage. But I noticed something else, it's like below your chakra is another, even larger chakra, but I can't really tell more than that for some reason."

At the last few words Kushina's expression went from guarded to a little scared. She looked at the ground and didn't say anything. This only verified to Mito that Kushina did know something about her condition after all.

Kushina looked over to where Minato and Hiashi were sparring before taking a breath.

"I want to tell you Mito, but I'm afraid you won't want to be my friend anymore after I do."

"What?" Mito asked incredulously. "Why the heck wouldn't I want to be your friend anymore?" She asked.

"Because once people find out, they usually treat me differently." Kushina said, looking at Mito's feet. Mito recalled how she'd seen almost everyone in the village avoiding Kushina like she had the plague. She'd always figured it was just because Kushina was a foreign trained ninja and they didn't trust her. She tried to think back to before she and Kushina had really gotten to know each other. She didn't remember anyone treating her like that in the beginning, but until her Grandma Mito died, Kushina had always spent all her time by the elder Uzumaki. They had almost been inseparable, and it hadn't been until grandma Mito died that Kushina had finally begun to open up.

She had always had that timid demeanor in the beginning, like Kushina was afraid that Mito would reject her friendship. It was very similar, if not identical, to how Kushina was acting now.

"Does this have to do with my grandma's death?" Mito asked slowly. Kushina looked up quickly and stared her in the eyes, trying to see what Mito was thinking.

"It does, I suppose," she said carefully. Mito was thinking hard; she knew she was missing something obvious. Her grandma had always been reclusive, and it had been a surprise when she had begun to teach Kushina, or whatever it was they did all those months together cooped up in that house on the edge of the Senju compound.

Some of those memories were foggier than they should have been, it had only been a few years ago after all. She tried to recall some events further back, but it felt like the further back she tried to recall, the foggier the memories became. One of the memories she had thought back to often was a speech her uncle Tobirama had given when she was very young, the one that had convinced her to become a ninja and protect the village with her life if needed.

The speech still went through her head, she'd replayed it hundreds of times over the years after all, but the actual memory of her uncle telling it to her was hardly there, she could barely even remember his face.

Before she could delve into the problems with her memory any further, Kushina waved her hand in front of Mito's face to get her attention.

"You look like you were thinking too hard. you didn't break anything did you?" Kushina asked with a smile, though it was obvious to Mito that it was covering the discomfort she'd been feeling a few moments ago.

"What?" Mito asked, getting her mind back on track. "Ah, no, I don't think so anyway." Kushina looked a little concerned at the answer

"Are you feeling okay Mito?" She asked more seriously. Mito just nodded and looked Kushina in the eyes.

"I'll admit I got a little lost there, but don't try and change the subject. I don't remember exactly what we were saying, but the point I want to get across is this: No matter what you think, what the other villagers think about you, I promise that nothing will ever change how I feel about you." Mito stepped forward and embraced the other girl in a hug, and this time it was Kushina who slowly raised her arms to hug back.

"You promise?" Kushina asked nervously. Mito pulled them apart and looked her in the eyes.

"I'm a little insulted you even need to ask, but yeah, I promise. Plus, I've got a completely different fricken body here, and you're the one afraid that you'll be thought of differently? Just think of what people will say about me when it eventually gets out that I'm back from the dead. Unless you do think differently of me?"

"No!" Kushina said firmly, shaking her head. "Don't think that. I can tell you're still the same Mito I knew before on the inside, even if you're not on the outside." This last line seemed to solidify Kushina's growing resolve.

"I'm glad to hear it," Mito said with a soft smile. She hadn't really thought of it until now, but in the background she supposed she had been afraid of what Kushina's reaction would be. She'd been a little hurt by Hiashi's outburst in the Hokage's office, but it wasn't really a soft spot to her. She knew the people that mattered would accept her, and the ones who didn't accept her didn't matter.

"Well, do you know what a Jinchūriki is?" Kushina asked. Mito nodded.

"Of course, my grandma was one after all," Mito answered. "She had the Kyuubi inside of her."

A look of realization crossed Kushina's face before she asked, "And you never thought ill of her because of that?"

"Of course not, she had been a Jinchūriki since before I was born after all."

Kushina shook her head at this, all the remaining worry draining from her face. "I feel like an idiot," she said.

"Why," Mito asked, wondering what her grandma had to do with this.

"Because I'm the Jinchūriki for the Kyuubi now, and for some reason I never thought to ask how you felt about your grandma being the Kyuubi's host before me." Mito was a little confused at this, but then comprehension dawned upon her. She smacked herself on the forehead.

"You're the one who feels like an idiot? No Kushina, that title definitely belongs to me in this case. At first I was trying to figure out why no one told me, and it's because the answer is fricken obvious." She lowered her hand from her forehead and looked at Kushina with a warm smile. "Though I will admit it was stupid of you to think that this would change anything between us."

Kushina smiled back at Mito and they both suddenly began laughing, catching the attention of the two boys on the other side of the field, who just shared a quizzical look.

* * *

Hiruzen sighed as he watched two S-rank secrets get revealed through his crystal ball. There wasn't even much consideration towards the fact they were meant to remain secrets. At least Kushina had the right to tell others of her status as a Jinchūriki. He supposed Mito had the right to reveal the amount she had, he was just grateful she at least was considerate enough to her leader to hold most of it back.

He would give her permission to reveal everything to the young Uzumaki in time, he'd already had an emergency meeting with the council the night before and had explained the situation to them. Needless to say that all of them were shocked, with the exception of Danzo of course. He had explained everything to the man in private before the meeting and the fact that Mito was back from the dead put Tsunade's betrayal in the background. Until Danzo brought it back up again anyway.

He had made it clear that nothing was to be done about Senju Mito, and in the end the council respected his wishes. Because of that demand however, they were against doing the same for his student Tsunade.

She was now on mission probation and would be force to take on a genin team to occupy her time and demonstrate her loyalty to the village. Of course betrayal should have had more consequences after all, but to Tsunade this was a punishment, to the rest of the village it was a sign of trust.

Many of the council knew she would never cause the village harm, only abandon it. But to some the two were the same.

Tsunade had been pushing to get a medic on every genin team since her creation of the Konoha Medical Corps. The council had denied her request on the grounds that doing so would reduce the overall combat effectiveness of a third of their future ninja, a loss they felt couldn't be afforded.

While their sentiments may not be false, Hiruzen himself had read enough reports that indicated that a medic on every team would, without a doubt, reduce the mortality rate on missions even further. Many bright ninjas had died due to lack of medical attention after a battle, and he knew it would be worth it in the long run. It was just making sure they lasted long enough to reach that point.

Of course there had been genin teams with a member who dabbled in medicine and medical jutsu, but they were few and far between. The ones with great potential usually were transferred to the Medical Corps, where they would help at the hospital and be assigned to missions of their own. Any who stayed in the field didn't usually become proficient enough with medical jutsu until after they'd lost a few comrades, and which was usually well into their chunnin careers.

This was Tsunade's chance to personally train a genin in her arts and to prove the value of the team arrangements she herself had suggested.

She had never taken a team nor an apprentice before, and Hiruzen was both interested to see how she would perform, and pitied whichever of her genin was talented enough to learn his female student's valuable skill set.

His thoughts were interrupted by one of his Anbu appearing before him.

"Sir, here is the list of academy students recommended for early graduation," the Anbu said. Hiruzen nodded in acknowledgment and the Anbu disappeared.

Of course the list was shorter than expected, there were only four names and they had all been pointed out to him previously. Now it was just up to Tsunade to pick which three she wanted to train.

He had another meeting later today to discuss the details in regards to securing the area around the temple that Mito's revival centered around. Of course since it was in rice country most of it would be taken care of by Danzo. It couldn't be known that ninja from fire nation were securing areas in another country without a request from said country to do so.

The political tension between the countries was already high enough to trigger the Second Ninja war. Though many might already say that the second war had already started years ago with the number of skirmishes between the countries. In Hiruzen's opinion, compared to the First Ninja war, these "battles" were just shows of power before the real war began.

It was during one of these battles that his students had been recognized as the Densetsu no Sannin by Hanzō the Salamander after all.

It had also brought Hatake Sakumo's skills to light as an assassination expert. The man may not be a power house like the Sannin, but he had never failed to take a target's head, granting him the moniker of Konoha's White Fang. Of course Hiruzen had never ordered the man to assassinate another Kage, for such an action would surely ignite the current state of the war into an inferno.

It was only the overwhelming force of the Sannin, himself, and the fear of Konoha's White Fang, that had stopped any major assault against their country.

Hiruzen desperately wanted to diffuse the building war, but it was the Fire and Lightning nations own prosperity, with Fire barely the superior, that was causing jealousy in the other nations. Then there was Lightning's own motive, to be known as the strongest and the desire to rule over more land than they had the power to control.

The only other country that didn't appear to want war was Wind Country. The reason they pursued it is because they were the ones most desperate.

Once the initial battles had started, trade between the countries became almost nonexistent. While many were able to remain self-sufficient for a while, trade was the main staple for a country which had a plentiful number of mines, but almost no food production.

Konoha and Suna were trying to forge an alliance, but neither of their shared border countries, River and Rain, were having any of it.

To add to the increasing number of problems, Konoha's only true ally, Whirlpool country, was requesting aid. Apparently they feared Water and Lightning were forming an alliance with the intention to destroy Konoha's greatest partner.

The partnership between Konoha and Uzushiogakure had been renewed in recent years by Kushina's presence, and her new status as Jinchūriki of the Kyuubi with the death of the previous host, Uzumaki Mito. Because of this, Hiruzen was honor bound to send aid. His greatest fear was that this was a ruse, with the intention not being an assault on the ridiculously fortified Uzushiogakure, but the weakening of Konoha leading up to a joint assault by several enemy nations.

Either way, he needed to come to a decision soon. He didn't doubt the council would vote to abandon Whirlpool and Uzu, but Hiruzen couldn't bear the guilt if it led to their greatest ally's destruction. Not to mention Kushina's reaction to such a scenario.

Hiruzen leaned back and placed the forgotten crystal ball back in its drawer, and taking out some tobacco to sooth his nerves. Maybe what he needed now was a walk through the village, that always made him feel a little better. It was times like this he wished he was still following orders instead of giving them.

* * *

Orochimaru read over the results of Mito's most recent test results. To say they were intriguing was an understatement. The potential the girl had in her blood, or sap as it was more similar too, was astounding.

He had spent the last few years analyzing the only sample of Senju Hashirama's DNA he could get ahold of, and it had progressed his research quite a bit more than just analyzing the living trees left behind after the First Hokage's death. With those factors alone, Orochimaru suspected he'd be able to create a Wood Release user within the decade. He didn't doubt that many of his experiments would result in failure, but they would be necessary to ultimately achieve success.

Tsunade's DNA on the other hand, was relatively useless. The traits in Hashirama's DNA that gave him an affinity for Wood Release, and a likely affinity to natural energy, wasn't present in the other Senju. This had included Mito as well, before her revival.

Now though, with her new body, Mito was a reservoir of valuable information. The small sample of her pseudo saliva was enough to accelerate his plans to create a Wood Release user by several years at the very least. He might be able to create a viable user after only losing ten of his test subjects.

He only regretted that the greatest chance of success by far was creating a genetically modified human from scratch, something that would take time, but he had the resources to create eight simultaneously.

If he could get a greater sample from Mito it could even lead him to answer more questions about natural energy itself. None of the fools even realized yet that the girl was capable of Wood Release herself.

He had been thinking of visiting the Great Snake Sage in order to understand the nature of such energy, but such would surely come at a high price.

He could go recover a greater sample immediately from the girl, but he didn't have enough bases far enough from Konoha to be able to continue his research, as such an action would most likely result in his need to flee the village. He also needed to start collecting followers for his future plans in creating a ninja village of his own.

Then there was Danzo. The man knew of many of his machinations, even helped a little. But this line of research would need to be kept secret from the man. The efforts to avoid detection would almost surely be what slowed his plans the most.

He estimated that he would have a combat ready Wood Release user, if not several, in eleven years. By then he would have made a move against Mito and created enough resources to sustain his own ninja village, so he would probably be out of the village of his own will within eight.

All the long terms plans were good and well, but it was Orochimaru's contingency plans that needed reworking.

The part of this that was the most exciting was still just theory, but it was a mouthwatering one. He had already replaced Danzo's arm with one created using Hashirama's cells, with the future intention of implanting Sharingan into it.

Orochimaru was still a few years away from mastering the ability to transfer his soul into another body. If he could steal Mito's body, or use it as a template to create one of his own, it would be highly likely he could implant fully functional Sharingan to replace whatever eyes grew naturally. He would have to monitor her more closely, but he even suspected such a body would live forever, if not only several lifetimes.

All of these ideas were out of his reach at the moment though. The soul transfer, the senjutsu body creation, even obtaining a large sample from the girl herself.

There was one place though where he might be able to collect information on all three. The place where the same outcome he desired had happened to Mito. The temple in the Land of Noodles, and more importantly, the tree that stood within it.

The problem was getting there, except that might not be a big of a problem as expected with Tsunade's return and probation. Hiruzen had been keeping his students near home for fear of an attack against the village, and the White Fang out in the field to remind the other nations how deadly just one Konoha ninja could be.

Except Sakumo was back in the village now, on leave for the first time in almost two years. Jiraiya's team wasn't going anywhere for the next couple weeks until Mito was back in full control of her faculties. Tsunade would be in the village for even longer, it would probably be three or four months at least until her genin were ready to go out into the field, and even longer before she could take or lead missions of her own without them.

He suspected he'd be sent out on a mission soon, one that would hopefully give him time to stop by the temple. The only problem with that is there was almost no chance of being sent to the land of Noodles or Tea, nothing significant enough to earn the attention of a Sannin was happening there. His only real chance would be if he was sent to Water Country, none of the other countries were even close, and such a diversion would surely be noticed.

* * *

Hiashi could tell from the look the Hyūga gate guards gave him that he would be summoned by the Clan Head. He had honestly been surprised it hadn't happened before now.

"Hiashi-san," one of the branch members said, giving a respectful bow.

"Yes?" Hiashi inquired, already knowing what the man was about to say.

"You have been summoned by the Elder Council, they wait for you in the main meeting hall."

Hiashi nodded, acknowledging the summons.

This was a little more unexpected, he had thought only the Clan Head would have any questions. He made his way straight to the meeting hall. If it had only been the head, it would be expected that he would clean himself up before their meeting. He knew the council would be displeased he hadn't done so, but he also knew they would be even more displeased if they had to wait any longer.

He walked with the confidence and decorum of a man observed by a dozen sets of judging eyes, for he surely was being watched at this moment.

He stopped outside the meeting hall and waited to be granted permission to enter. He could hear the voices inside, and they certainly knew he was out here. But it was their habit to make everyone wait on them, not the other way around.

Finally, the door slid open by the hands of a branch member. She bowed before him as she opened the door. He didn't acknowledge her, only entering the room with his head high.

The twelve clan elders were arranged in a U shape on the far side of the room, with the Clan Head, his mother, seated at the center.

Hiashi's father had been the Clan Head until a few years ago, but his mother had replaced him after his death. The cause of death had never been announced, and Hiashi had never seen the body himself. It wasn't even in the grave the family payed their respects over.

His mother had quickly taken control of the clan, against the wishes of the elders because of her gender. She had put down an iron fist and demonstrated her skills, both political and physical, and has since proved herself worthy of the title of Clan Head.

He reached the thin piece of cloth that marked where he would kneel. He did so and made a formal bow to the elder council and clan head. He didn't raise his head from the floor until his mother spoke, which she waited almost a minute to do.

"Yesterday I was in a meeting with the Hokage, and the other clan heads," Hyūga Haruka added their presence as an afterthought. "He informed me of the return of the Senju, as well as the cover up that will be known by the rest of the village."

Hiashi just looked ahead, not directly at the clan head, but a space in the air between them. He didn't say anything, as he hadn't yet been asked a question. Speaking now would be out of bounds.

"What Hiruzen refused to give was the details surrounding Senju Mito's revival," Haruka continued. "As well as Senju Tsunade's retrieval of her younger sister. You will enlighten us of these facts now."

Hiashi nodded, indicating that he understood and would comply. He felt it would be a personal betrayal of Mito's, and the Hokage's trust to be telling them the facts that the village leader himself had kept private. But nothing came before the clan, especially when it came to the Hyūga. Sarutobi Hiruzen surely knew this, and he suspected Mito did as well.

"You may speak," the Clan Head said, after determining that Hiashi would not attempt to deceive her or the Elder Council.

Hiashi told them everything. Starting with what he believed were the relevant details of their mission. Mito's initial contact with the tree, and her poor health after, his suspicion that she had died while in contact with the tree, and the man Jugo and what part he had played.

The Clan Head already knew most of this, but did not interrupt.

He continued to relay what Mito had told Team 7 herself. Her experience within the tree, the creation of a new body and the validation by Senju Tsunade that the girl was, in fact, Senju Mito in spirit and memory at least.

He told them what he knew of her abilities, including the increased strength she displayed this afternoon during training. He also explained that while her potential was far greater than what it had been previously, she was still less than she had been before due to her lack of control over her new body and chakra.

He explained what he knew about natural energy and its relation to Mito, and how it had completely replaced her human chakra. He had verified this afternoon his suspicions of the effectiveness of the gentle fist against her, which was none at all.

Mutters went around the room at this, which Hiashi had known would happen. That is why he saved that detail until last.

Haruka did not speak with the rest of the Elder Council, only listened to their words.

Hiashi put all his concentration into looking at that spot in the air between himself and his mother. Despite being in the room with them, he was expected not to listen to them until he was spoken to directly. Some words he could not block out, such as the name of his teammate and her clan.

After a few minutes the muttering died down and Haruka looked away from the oldest council member seated to her right. She made eye contact with Hiashi and he began listening once again.

"It has been reasoned that the Senju clan may make a comeback after all, in spite of their drastically reduced numbers over the years."

Hiashi felt he wasn't going to like what was coming next. He had been expecting a direct order without explanation. Not an opinion. His mother never gave opinions during formal meetings, whether her own or the council's. Whenever an opinion was given in this room, it was only because one of the councilmen could not keep it to themselves.

"It would be beneficial for the Hyūga to play a part in the revival of the Senju's power in Konoha," Haruka said sternly. Her next words were spoken regally and it was clear that it was an order. "You, my heir, Hyūga Hiashi, will court Senju Mito and bind our clans together."

Hiashi had been suspecting this with every word his mother had spoken, but couldn't help the widening of his eyes in a display of surprise. At the lack of acknowledgment, the smallest, but most condescending of smiles twitched on his mother's face.

"You know what this entails, do you not?" She asked. Hiashi gulped and slowly nodded, before remembering he needed to verbally reply to the order.

"I do, and I will perform the duty as it is expected of me." If it wasn't a phrase he had spoken dozens of times before, he was certain he would have stuttered.

"It is good that you do," Haruka said, this time purposely letting the smile show on her face. It wasn't in happiness over his response, or eventuality of his success. No, her smile was at Hiashi's discomfort that he was greatly trying to hide. "Then you are dismissed."

Hiashi bowed again and moved out of the room without faltering. Even after the door to the council room closed he did not show his feelings. Even once he made it to his room and prepared for bed, he did not let any of them show.

No actions in or around the Hyūga compound were unseen, and it wouldn't be until he left the compound in the morning that he would let his true emotions, as mellow as they were, be visible.

For the first time since joining team 7, he was not looking forward to seeing them in the morning.

* * *

Author's Note:

Alright, there are two things I want to talk about in regards to this chapter.

The first is the response to Mito's return. In a ninja village such an event as someone returning from the dead would be highly suspicious, and I've tried to portray that with the older ninja, but I feel having Tsunade be the one to discover and verify who she is holds quite a bit of credit. Especially since she found Mito in the condition that she had. As for the younger ninja, while paranoid, they don't have the experience that the older ones have. Youth and naivety go hand in hand, and I play on that a bit.

Second is about the Hokage's crystal ball. I got this idea from another fanfiction, I can't remember which. The idea is that the crystal balls vision is tied into the barrier seals(which is like a dome) around the village so he can see anything that can be seen from the sphere itself. If someone is hiding in the forest of death, the idea is that the foliage is too thick to see much. This is also why it cannot see into any dwellings. I don't mind OP characters and items, as long as they have an explanation, even if it has one that I havn't made clear in the story itself. OP for the sake of OPness is what I don't like. If you have any questions don't be afraid to send me a PM.

You might also notice that some of the first historical changes are visible, such as the state of the second ninja war, and the perlude to the desruction of Uzu(which may or may not happen). I will admit that part of this is because I screwed up the timeline in my head, but that's part of why I've labeled this as an AU story since the beginning.

Please review, follow, favorite if you like the story.


	8. Birth

(Published 12-17-15)

The Growth of the Village Hidden in the Leaves

A Naruto FanFiction

**Chapter 8 – Birth**

Hatake Sakumo leapt from rooftop to rooftop in the direction of the Konoha hospital.

It had been roughly nine months since he'd last been in the village, and the Hokage had been kind enough to allow his request of time off during this important period. Though the village leader had offered to give him a few days off over the last two years, Sakumo had accepted only once.

He was heading to the Hospital because of that time off those months ago, during which time he and his wife had conceived their first child.

Tomorrow was supposed to be the projected delivery date, but a few minutes ago his meeting with the Hokage had been interrupted with a message from the hospital alerting him that his wife was going into labor. Hiruzen had almost eagerly postponed the rest of the meeting, encouraging him to go see his wife.

It only took a few minutes to reach the hospital and a few more to reach the maternity ward. He now stood outside the room he knew his wife to be in. His legs were shaking worse than they had during his first assassination mission.

He considered sitting outside the room and waiting, but felt conflicted over whether he should be in the room for this or not. He was a professional at ending life, not bringing it into the world after all.

Before he could make a decision a nurse came out of the room in a hurry. He stiffened when he gained her attention, being the only person in the halls in full shinobi uniform.

"Are you Hatake Sakumo?" The nurse asked.

"I am," he said professionally, not letting any emotion enter his voice. The woman smiled at him and beckoned him closer.

"There's no need to be so nervous, everything is going well. Come into the room and see your wife, she's been waiting for you after all."

"Why do you think I'm nervous?" He asked, trying to cool his features further.

"Well, in a situation like this the fathers are always nervous."

She stepped back into the room for the moment and held the door open, revealing a doctor and a few nurses preparing medical equipment. Sakumo could see the foot of the bed that his wife was in, as well as her legs which were uncovered from just above the knee.

At Sakumo's continued lack of response, the nurse beckoned a bit more enthusiastically. His wife, Mayumi, had also noticed.

"I didn't think you'd be afraid of child birth, of all things," she said from within the room. Her voice seemed as strong as ever, but Sakumo could hear the strain in it.

He stepped into the room to see his wife in the bed, her purple mask covering her lower face as usual. She looked tired but determined.

He performed a quick survey of the room by habit, carefully watching the movements of each of the nurses and the female doctor.

He'd read the woman's file once, it had been in their home because of an investigation Mayumi had been performing at the time as part of a routine background check that each of the hospital employees went through annually or after any incidents. The same kind all the new hires went through before they could start working in the hospital.

The woman had been, and technically still was a chunnin, but had taken a particularly devastating attack to the knee while performing her duties as a medic in the field a few years ago. Since then she had apparently become a doctor, one who regularly worked with shinobi patients.

Ninja could be jumpy, and were almost never comfortable in the hospital setting. It wasn't exactly safe to be around someone fresh from a battle who was probably still having flashbacks. He didn't know the nurses but they probably had some form of ninja training as well.

The doctor moved to Mayumi's side and lay a gentle hand on her wrist.

"I'm sure you both have a lot to say to each other, but you should concentrate on breathing until this is all over," the doctor said. "You and your family will have plenty of time to talk after."

Mayumi nodded and concentrated on deep, steady breaths. She held out her other hand toward Sakumo and he moved forward to grasp it gently.

"Now, the rate of her contractions indicate things could be starting any moment. When they do it's important that you, as the father and husband, support and encourage your wife through the process."

Sakumo nodded. He hadn't realized he'd have to do anything, but it didn't sound so hard for him. He was more worried about Mayumi and the baby than anything.

The doctor noticed his look.

"Everything will go smoothly. Ninja generally have a much easier time with this due to their physical conditioning. There's no need to be so nervous."

"I'm not that nervous," Sakumo said.

"Dear, you've only spoken twice now and both times have been you being defensive about not being nervous," Mayumi said with a gentle smile through her mask. She gave his hand a little squeeze. "I'll be alright; the medical personnel are taking good care of me."

"I know," Sakumo said. "You picked them specifically didn't you?" He asked.

Mayumi nodded at this. She was about to say more but instead grimaced in pain, followed quickly by one of the machines beeping rapidly.

"What's going on," he asked, his momentary calm gone. He felt the urge to move, but Mayumi was gripping his hand with much more force now."

"It looks like we're moving onto stage two," said the doctor who began issuing orders to the nurses. She looked up at Sakumo with a grin and said, "that's the part where the baby comes out. You really should take your mask off dear, "she said, her attention switching to Mayumi. "It'll help with the breathing."

Mayumi shook her head.

She grunted again and squeezed Sakumo's hand with greater force. Their eyes met and she gave him a pained but determined smile.

"Are you ready honey?" She asked. With a gulp, Sakumo nodded.

Several hours later the birth of Hatake Kakashi was complete. Mayumi was holding him close making cooing noises Sakumo had never imagined his wife would make.

He stood in the same spot as when he had moved into the room in the beginning. He still ignored the chair a nurse had moved behind him.

Many of the nurses were cleaning up, laughing about how Mayumi had encouraged Sakumo through more of the labor than he had her.

His eyes were locked on the little bundle in his wife's arms. His son Kakashi. The boy certainly had his father's hair, but everything else was his mothers.

Mayumi looked up at Sakumo with the happiest smile he had ever seen on her face. She rearranged little Kakashi in her arms for a moment before holding him out from herself.

"Do you want to hold our son?" She asked.

He looked down at his own hands, ones that had taken hundreds of lives, and in the first time in years, he could see how bloodstained they were. Such hands weren't fit to hold a truly innocent life like the one in front of him.

If he touched the baby, he knew he would only spread the blood of his hands to the little one before him.

He saw Mayumi's hand grasp one of his own, as she had moved the baby back against her chest.

"Don't think about those things," She said sternly. He didn't bother to ask how she knew what he was thinking. "Despite what you may think, you deserve this."

She let go of his hand and held out Kakashi again.

"No matter what you think, you are not a monster. You are a loyal ninja of the leaf, and your efforts alone are some of the greatest to the village. It's because of you that so many villagers, including us, are able to be this happy."

Despite her words, he still didn't feel consoled. Regardless, he reached out and took the baby into his arms.

Sakumo held his son Kakashi for the first time, and didn't ever want to let him go.

* * *

Mito looked up at the clouds from where she floated in the water. She laughed to herself as she saw one that looked like a dog with a disproportionally large backside.

"You're supposed to be working on water walking, not floating there watching the clouds," Jiraiya said from his place above the water next to her.

She looked at him askance, not moving in the water. He just stood there with his arms crossed, giving her that look that was supposed to be stern but wasn't.

Mito rolled over in the water so she was face down watching the bottom of the clear lake instead. She'd found out earlier that she didn't need to breathe nearly as much as she had in her last body. Her record so far was thirty-seven minutes, something she was proud of. It only counted when she was sitting still though, if she was active it was reduced to fifteen. Still pretty good.

A couple fish swam up in front of her to investigate. She pretended like she couldn't hear Jiraiya's nagging.

Her chakra control was shot with her new body. She couldn't perform any of the basic three properly. Her clones, when they showed up at all, appeared dead and almost had some density to them, but it was more like they were made out of mist than unsubstantial chakra.

Attempting to perform a transformation caused her to glow like a light bulb, definitely not useful.

She'd had the hardest time even initiating the substitution jutsu, but when she finally did, any object that she switched with exploded. It wasn't what was supposed to happen, but Jiraiya admitted that maybe it was more useful that way.

Her sensei had come to the conclusion that the main reason she was having problems was, of course, lack of control. This lack of control was caused by an unfamiliarity with her new chakra, which was technically natural energy, combined with her enlarged reserves of such energy.

The leaf sticking exercise had been easy, she could even do it with larger objects. Similarly, tree walking wasn't a problem either.

Water walking on the other hand, was the new bane of Mito's existence. The amount of chakra she was putting out was simply too much to keep the water stable beneath her feet. Sticking she was ok with, repulsing had become a destructive force.

She felt the grip on the back of her shirt as Jiraiya pulled her out of the water so they were face to face. She hung in his grasp like a limp wet cat.

"I realize this is difficult for you, but it's important that you master this exercise. I shouldn't have to explain the disadvantage you'd be in if you-"

"I know already, if I can't water walk I'm helpless on the water," Mito interrupted. She turned her head to the side, avoiding looking her teacher in the eyes. What she saw instead were her two teammates sparring on the water as easily as they had on land. Their hair wasn't even wet. She turned her head to look in the opposite direction instead.

Jiraiya sighed, then started raising and lowering Mito repeatedly. She didn't turn her head back towards him, but looked at him askew.

"What are you doing," she asked suspiciously. He was stroking his chin now.

"Tsunade was right, you probably weigh even more than either of the boys," he said.

Mito lashed out with a punch, but Jiraiya just extended his arm so he was beyond her shorter reach. Before she could lash out with a kick Jiraiya twisted the wrist that held her so she was facing away from him.

Now she was flailing like an infuriated wet cat. When she reached back to grab Jiraiya's hand he dropped her.

She landed on the water and quickly struck backwards at him. He leapt back a few steps and she followed for a bit, before her feet started sinking into the water. She trudged through the clean water as though it were thick mud, angrily making her way towards the man.

In a fit of rage, more at her own abilities now than Jiraiya's comment, she channeled as much chakra to her feet as she could.

Instead of launching out of the water as she'd expected, the water below her feet was blown away, eliminating any footing she had.

She swiftly fell deep into the water crater she'd made, up until it rushed around her and settled.

She looked up to the surface and could still see Jiraiya standing there, probably waiting for her to surface.

She wished she'd been a water type like her sister or uncle. If she was then she'd be in the perfect position to get him back.

With a flash of realization, she remembered that she did know one way, she'd just performed it after all.

Mito swam down the last ten feet to the bottom of the small lake where she planted her feet in the sand. Once she was stable she held her arms up, pointing her palms towards Jiraiya. She could see his feet shift on the water. Stupid old man knew she was up to something.

She closed her eyes and started building up as much chakra as she could, pulling most of it from within herself and her connection to the tree. She also managed to get a little from the surrounding area, but it didn't count for much.

When she had started pulling natural energy from the lake though, it seemed to catch Jiraiya's attention. He took a few steps back.

Before the man could get much further, Mito released all the pent up energy out of her hands in a single, uncontrolled burst.

She didn't really know what she'd been expecting other than an attack, but as soon as her chakra had been released, she was blown backwards and tumbled through the water. This followed quickly by getting sucked into a current and moving erratically and uncontrollably. It took a while before she was able to get her bearings again. She finally realized which way was up and swam to the surface, eager to see if it had worked.

She could already sense her teammates and teacher back on shore. She broke the surface already facing in their direction.

At the sight of not only Jiraiya soaked to the bone, but also the other two as well, she couldn't help but start laughing hysterically, swimming towards shore and making her way up the beach until she was next to them.

They all glared at her, but there was also a bit of wariness in their eyes that Mito didn't notice.

"Man, I got you guys good. Sorry about that though you two," she said looking to the boys, "I only meant to get teach." She wasn't as sorry as she'd said though.

"You're lucky you didn't blow your own hands off," Jiraiya said, wringing the water out of his vest.

Hiashi opened his mouth, closed it for a moment, then asked, "How did you do that?"

Mito was a little surprised, she was almost sure he'd been about to say something scornful. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I just forced as much chakra out of my hands as I could. The splash must have gone pretty far to have gotten you two also."

"Splash?" Minato asked incredulously. "It was more like an explosion! I've made waterproof explosive tags and set them off underwater, and they don't even blow half as much water away as what you did."

Mito was excited at this, maybe she could turn that into a usable attack. She was about to say so when she sensed half a dozen figures moving in their direction from the village. They all had that feeling of people on the other side of frosted glass that she'd associated with Anbu.

"How big was it exactly?" She asked, looking back at her team.

"Big enough to be seen from the village," Jiraiya said, knowing that they'd have company any moment.

"I'm just glad we weren't any closer than we were," Minato said. "Jiraiya flew pretty high in the air before crashing by us."

"Along with the rest of the lake," Hiashi added.

"I even got hit in the face by a fish," Minato said, pointing to a scratch on his cheek. Despite all this, he seemed more excited by Mito's abilities than angry.

Hiashi on the other hand was just acting weird. It looked like he was torn between being impressed, angry, and acting ignorant of what had just occurred.

"Don't think this means you're getting out of learning water walking," Jiraiya said. He put his vest back on and turned fully to the group. "I'd tell Tsunade you're not taking things seriously…"

"But you know she'd just cheer me on for getting you like I did," Mito finished with a smile, her hands placed sassily on her hips.

Jiraiya shook his head and turned just as an ANBU landed in front of him.

"Is everything OK here?" The man asked, surveying Team 7 and the area around them.

"Everything is fine, Jiraiya said. Just tell the old man some exercises got out of control."

The Anbu didn't respond immediately, but then nodded and disappeared into the trees where his companions had been waiting. Jiraiya turned back to his three students.

"Alright kids. I think we've all had enough training on the water for today."

Mito threw her hands up in the air and shouted, "Thank goodness."

Don't even think you won't be working on water walking again tomorrow though." He said sternly. "It's not just for the technique itself, but the control that comes with it."

"What about that attack I did?" Mito asked in an attempt to change the subject. "That seems like something I should be working on too doesn't it?"

Jiraiya was fully aware what Mito was attempting, but went along with it anyway.

"I wanted to talk about that also," he said more seriously. "I wasn't joking when I said you're lucky you didn't get your hands blown off."

"They look fine to me," Mito said, looking at her hands in concern. They were a little scratched up but didn't seem to be damaged.

"I've already said lucky a few times now. I'll admit that would probably work pretty well for an attack, but it's pretty obvious you put a lot of chakra into it." Mito nodded.

"I spent a good fifteen seconds building it up," She said.

"I thought so." He looked at her thoughtfully for a few moments. Then he turned and looked at Hiashi and Minato. "You two start on your Fūinjutsu training. I'm going to work with Mito one on one for a while."

Hiashi and Minato nodded. Then they realized that not only were they soaked, but all the sealing paper they had on them was too. Jiraiya came to the same conclusion they had.

"Go ahead and run home to get new paper and a change of clothes, then come back here." He considered changing his own clothes, but it was a hot and clear day, it wouldn't take long for himself or Mito to dry off naturally.

He sat in the sand and motioned for Mito to do the same, which she quickly did as the other two left.

"I've been trying to get a grasp on how your chakra differs from a normal sage's," He said. "Even your moderate success with the basic three prove that it is possible to perform ninjutsu with natural energy alone."

"Even though they all turn out like crap?" Mito asked. Jiraiya nodded.

"Your situation is different than most, no, make that all sages. For myself, I use a blend of my own chakra and natural energy to perform jutsu. What I find most successful is starting the jutsu with my chakra, then enhancing it with natural energy. I've never been successful in performing a jutsu without my chakra, though I'll admit I only tried once before my sensei corrected me."

"The Hokage taught you Senjutsu?"

"No, not Hiruzen. I'm talking about Fukasaku, the toad sage."

"Ah, I think I remember you or one of your toads mentioning him before."

"Well, I think it would be best to bring him in on your training. I don't know if he has any experience with someone in your situation, but I'm sure he'll have a couple tips at the very least."

Mito nodded, agreeing in thinking that maybe someone else would have some better ideas than 'just keep trying'.

At her ascent Jiraiya stood up, made some hand seals and summoned a toad, except it looked more like a frog. Mito stood up as well and greeted it.

"Hi, you must be Fukasaku," Mito said. The toad looked a little taken aback and even appeared to blush a little.

"Me? No no no. My name is Kōsuke and I'm just a messenger toad."

"Oh," Mito said a little deflated. "It's nice to meet you anyway. I have a question for you." Kōsuke looked at her curiously and gave her his undivided attention. "Why doesn't your name start with gama?"

Kōsuke just shrugged and said, "I can't help what my parents named me."

Mito nodded and said, "I guess you've got a point."

Behind Kōsuke Jiraiya cleared his throat, getting the toads attention.

"Kōsuke, I need you to deliver a message to Fukasaku for me," he said.

"Not a problem," the toad said professionally, placing his goggles over his eyes. "Whats the message?"

"Tell him that I have a new sage I'm trying to train, one with special circumstances, and I could use his input," Jiraiya said. Kōsuke turned to look at Mito for a moment but then nodded back to Jiraiya.

"He'll either be here himself or I'll be back with his response," Kōsuke said disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"One thing I want to say before you meet Fukasaku," Jiraiya said more seriously than Mito had seen him in a while. He gave a slight incline of the head that surprised Mito at his sincerity. "Please don't embarrass me."

"What?" Mito asked incredulously. "There's no reason I'd embarrass you, sensei." The grin on her face didn't reassure Jiraiya. He sighed in response.

After a few minute of waiting there was another pop and cloud of smoke and there was another toad before them. It wasn't Kōsuke. This one was the definition of old, with a chin goatee, eyebrows that wrapped halfway around his head, and a cowlick hairstyle.

Mito suppressed a laugh. How long did it take for a toad to grow hair after all?

"Jiraiya! What is this I hear about you teaching someone senjutsu. You should know you need to master it yourself before teaching others," The elder toad said scolding the man. He hopped up to Jiraiya and swiftly smacked him over the head.

Fukasaku landed and turned to look at Mito while Jiraiya rolled on the ground clutching his head and whining like a child. Mito raised an eyebrow at their interaction. Jiraiya looked plenty capable of embarrassing himself.

"So you must be the one Jiraiya boy mentioned in the message, you seem pretty young to be trying to learn senjutsu." He gave Mito a once over and his eyes widened. "No, it seems you have a pretty good grasp of it already."

Mito had been able to sense the elder toad the moment he appeared. He had a presence that was almost similar to Jugo's. While certainly different, it had the same feeling to it that it seemed all sages shared. It was more alike to Jiraiya's, though on a completely different scale. Where Jugo and this toad, Fukasaku, were both masters at senjutsu, Jiraiya was obviously still inexperienced.

She'd only witnessed him using it once so far, shortly after she made it back to the village and explained everything to her team. He'd wanted to sense her for himself. Needless to say he was surprised.

"Hello she greeted," giving a small bow to the toad elder. "My name is Senju Mito." Fukasaku inclined his head respectfully.

"A Senju eh? I suppose it's not as surprising that you've mastered senjutsu to such an extent if you come from that clan."

"What do you mean by that?" Mito asked curiously.

"I'm referring to Senju Hashirama of course. I take it there is some relation between the two of you?"

"Yes, he was my grandfather. Did you know him?" She asked excitedly. She of course had never met the First, but was always eager to hear more stories about him. Except Fukasaku shook his head in the negative.

"I've heard of him and sensed him from afar, but never met the man myself. From what I've heard of him from the other summon realms, he's one of only two men known to have mastered Senjutsu without the aid of a summon clan."

This caught Mito's attention, but before she could ask her question Fukasaku continued.

"While your mastery of natural energy at such a young age is indeed impressive, I cannot help but notice that something is different." He appeared to ponder for a moment before correcting. "No, it seems something is missing."

Fukasaku's eyes widened in surprise when he realized.

"You don't have any normal chakra, and you are not absorbing natural energy from your surroundings, its coming from within you."

Jiraiya finally recovered and moved between the two. "That's part of why I mentioned there were some special circumstances," he said.

"You couldn't have taught this to the girl," Fukasaku said without doubt. "No person should be able to maintain human form without a balance of chakra and natural energy within their bodies." Mito raised her hand to get the elder toads attention.

"Well, I'm not exactly human anymore. So that is probably why," she said. Fukasaku hopped closer to her and beckoned her towards him.

"Let me see your hand," he said. Mito kneeled and held her hand out to him, which he grasped in his own. The toad elder felt her hand for a few seconds before passing some of his own chakra into her. Then he squeezed her hand with some force and looked up for a reaction.

Mito just looked back at him blankly, wondering if she should be responding somehow.

"That didn't hurt you at all?" He asked. Mito shook her head in the negative. "Hm, you are quite durable then, even more so than a normal sage would be. Squeeze mine now."

Mito grasped his hand and squeezed, still instinctively restraining herself.

"Are you doing it as hard as you can?" He asked. Mito shook her head. "Go ahead and use as much force as you can, but build it up slowly." Mito would have argued, but she knew if this toad was in sage mode that he'd be much stronger than anyone else she'd made physical contact with so far.

She squeezed with a casual amount of strength, which was probably similar to Tsunade's own super chakra control enhanced strength. When the sage didn't react, she kept squeezing harder and harder. Mito noticed the harder she squeezed, the more natural energy the elder toad channeled into his hand.

She was squeezing as hard as she could and Fukasaku gave her a considering look.

"This is your limit?" He asked. Mito was a little insulted and shook her head in the negative, causing Fukasaku to raise a giant eyebrow. "Well keep going then."

Mito moved more chakra from her own body, reinforcing her strength, but as she continued, so did Fukasaku, gathering more natural energy from the surrounding area. Determined to impress the elder, she began to pull more energy from her link with the tree. It poured into her as it had at the bottom of the lake.

A look of surprise and concern crossed Fukasaku's face, but he didn't indicate she should stop and he didn't pull away, so Mito continued. For ten more seconds she channeled more and more of the tree's natural energy into her arm until she noticed the natural energy in Fukasaku's hand begin to destabilize. Right when she thought his own energy was going to break out of his control, the elder toad pulled out of her grip.

He massaged his own hand now and looked back up to Mito, reevaluating her. Jiraiya looked between the two curiously but didn't say anything.

"Your control is beyond impressive girl; it almost appears as if you were made to handle natural energy. I have a couple questions for you," He said. Except this time, he had hesitated before calling her girl. "First, I would like to know where you got the natural energy from. I can sense that you hold a large amount of it within yourself, but halfway through you started pulling even more from another source within you. Even now I can sense it draining somewhere, but not into the world around you. And second I would like to know what you meant about not being human, because you are certainly not wrong about that."

Instead of answering, Mito looked over to Jiraiya and asked, "do you think the Hokage would care if I told him everything?"

Jiraiya shook his head and answered, "He's only likely to tell other toads, and the only human he'd tell a secret like this to would be someone who's signed the toad summon contract, and I'm the only one who has. Hiruzen knows this."

"Alright then," Mito said, and proceeded to tell the toad everything, starting with the discovery of the temple, and ending with waking up and seeing Tsunade again. Jiraiya added some of his personal opinions, but throughout the explanation Fukasaku only listened. Once both Mito and Jiraiya were finished, Fukasaku took a minute to process it all.

"You've told me about this man Jugo," Fukasaku said, looking up to Mito. "Will you describe his physical appearance for me?" Mito nodded

"When we first met him, he was as big as, and maybe close to the same age as Jiraiya, with orange eyes and hair. As I mentioned already, after my body was created though he looked like a ten-year-old.

Fukasaku looked shocked at this.

"What's wrong sensei?" Jiraiya asked, concerned.

"When I was young, there was a man named Jugo who had mastered senjutsu without the aid of a summon clan. He is the one other than your grandfather that I mentioned before. It would be shocking to find out that he is still alive, but this is even worse than that."

"When you were young?" Jiraiya asked incredulously. Mito guessed the elder toad may be much older than he appeared.

"Yes, roughly six hundred years ago," he said. Mito's eyes widened at this. Ok, much much much older than he appeared.

"The man you have described to me was not Jugo though, but his counterpart. His name was Gilland, and though he was not an evil man throughout all the stories I heard of him, he surpassed even the tailed beasts when it came to power."

Jiraiya appeared horrified at this. "Stronger than even the Biju? You can't be serious?"

"I am. And I know firsthand because Jugo, the real Jugo, signed the contract to be a toad summoner as well. Not the first, but one of them. Because of this, I know he passed on long ago."

"To think he was such a dangerous man. Do you think I should have killed him when I had the chance? Could I even have done it?" Jiraiya asked.

Fukasaku shook his head, "Even with our help, even with all the power Konoha has to offer, I don't think he would have been defeated. Weakened, maybe, but not defeated. I have not even told you everything yet."

"It gets worse than that?" Jiraiya asked incredulously. He looked over at Mito, wondering if this was something she should be present to hear. Fukasaku noticed his look.

"It is important that Mito girl hear this too, after all she may play a big part in defending Konoha if he ever becomes your enemy. I find it strange that he acted the way he did, but it's possible he truly did lose his memories. You should be aware that he is a cunning man, able to live longer than any mortal has the right too."

Jiraiya just seemed shocked at this and didn't say anything.

"What I'm going to tell you next is partially rumor, but could be important to know. I've encountered Gilland in two periods of my life. The first was while Jugo was signed with our clan, and the second was four hundred years later when an Uzumaki by the name of Seiretsu signed the contract as well. Once again Gilland was involved, both as an ally and, in the end, an enemy. If this Jugo is actually the Gilland that I knew of in the past, then he is more than just a dangerous man."

"But there's still more, right?" Mito asked, totally enthralled by the story. She was more interested in it for its fantastical nature though, whereas Jiraiya looked like he was going to become physically ill.

Fukasaku nodded and went on. "This is the part I'm not sure of. The Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru, once told me a story from his childhood that a man once reversed summoned to Mount Myōboku in search of the strongest summon clan. Of course we don't go showing off our power to every person who comes to our home, but then he picked a fight with the current boss. They supposedly fought a legendary battle, one which the toad boss lost. The man moved on, saying he would continue to search for the strongest. The physical description is similar to that of Gilland, and he displayed the ability to instantly heal any wound by reversing time on himself, becoming younger as a side effect."

Jiraiya stood up abruptly, which caught Fukasaku's attention.

"Jiraiya," he said, getting the man's attention before he could leave. "Despite everything I've said, the last thing I should tell you before you report all this is that, in my personal opinion, the man is indeed dangerous to the extreme, but has never demonstrated himself to be evil."

"Good to know," Jiraiya said, not taking much stock in it. "But right now I need to inform Hiruzen-sensei about this, and spread word to my spy network to begin collecting information on Jugo. I don't want to even call him Gilland in case he wants to cover up his tracks by destroying anyone who know it." He was just about to leave when he turned to Mito. "You don't tell anybody about this do you understand?"

His eyes were determined and for the first time in her life, Mito was intimidated by Jiraiya. She nodded quickly.

"Not. A. Soul." He said, staring her in the eyes. Once he determined she would keep her mouth shut he disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Mito could sense him moving rapidly towards the Hokage Tower.

Mito and Fukasaku sat in silence for a moment before the toad chipped in.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you Mito girl, it's just something I felt needed to be known." Mito shook her head, not worried at all.

"Like I said before, Jugo trained me while I was in the tree, he even gave up part of his body in order to give me mine. I understand he is some kind of legendary figure, but I know he's not evil. He once promised me that he would always be my ally."

Fukasaku seemed to agree.

"It's good that Jiraiya is being wary, but there have been many more beings with greater evil in them than Gilland who have been glorified as selfless heroes. I can't begin to imagine what his desires might be, but I don't think it's the end of the world as Jiraiya boy appears to."

"I think your right," Mito said. She stood up from where she'd sat during her telling of events. She pulled her arms above her head and stretched her back, wondering where her teammates were.

"I have one more thing to ask you before we talk about your training," Fukasaku said.

"Training? I nearly forgot about that," Mito said, looking back to the toad. "What's your question?"

"You mentioned something evil beneath the tree you told of. Can you tell me anything more about it?"

"Not really. Well I guess I can say this. It's not evil like a person who goes around killing babies or anything. It's pure evil, pure hatred, darkness. I don't think it has a physical form. Do you know what I mean?"

"I suppose it explains things a little bit, but only concerns me more. Any guesses what might happen if it was released?" Fukasaku asked. He knew it wouldn't be good, but wanted to know the girl's opinion.

"Have you ever heard the metaphor, 'all hell breaks loose'? Well I think we could all take that literally," she said, a shiver going down her spine. "I can still feel it even now, and it doesn't feel any better or worse than before, if it even could get worse.

"I have heard that before, but I believe it is called an idiom, not a metaphor."

Mito rolled her eyes at this. "Does it matter? I'm a ninja, not a writer."

"Jiraiya boy has written a book you know," Fukasaku added with a smile. Mito snorted in humor.

"And I bet it's all smut. What else would the pervert take time to write a book about?"

"It's surprisingly not," the toad said, not mentioning that Jiraiya was writing another book, and this one was smut. "Now, you seem the type to have an affinity with earth. Rather than working on shinobi jutsu, let's start with some raw earth manipulation."

"How can you tell I'm an earth type?" Mito asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The attitude. When you get to be my age you can figure these kinds of things out with a conversation."

"Right," Mito said, smirking. Fukasaku smirked back.

* * *

Danzo was once again alone in his office, one of his Root just having left. The agent, Chameleon, had been tasked with keeping an eye on Mito, and had reported that despite her best efforts, she had been detected. For anyone else, even Wolf, Danzo would have disciplined them.

Chameleon was in a different league than all the others when it came to stealth though. She was greatly skilled in genjutsu, and she could practically turn herself invisible when needed. If it wasn't for the seal he had placed on every member of Root, he'd even think she could stay hidden from him.

He cursed the Senju girl. Her new sensing abilities, and the report that she in turn couldn't be sensed, meant that keeping her out of Orochimaru's hands would become significantly more difficult.

Before he could think any further on the matter a messenger appeared before him.

"What is it?" He asked tersely.

"Sir. Wolf has returned and is being attended to by a Root medic. He only has a few broken ribs but is suffering from severe chakra exhaustion."

"Tell him to come report immediately," Danzo said, disregarding if coming to his office would be painful to Wolf. He'd made it all the way back to Konoha after all.

The Root member nodded and disappeared into the shadows.

Wolf was by no means weak, and while his chakra reserves weren't the greatest, they weren't small. For him to have suffered such damage was very telling of Jugo's abilities.

A few minutes later Wolf made his appearance in Danzo's office. Using the door for the first time. He limped into the center of the room, without the classic cloak and mask that he'd never been without.

Danzo immediately noticed the state of Wolf's left eye, realizing his agent had been forced into using one of two techniques.

"Report," Danzo said coldly, not acknowledging Wolf's wounds.

Wolf kneeled and explained the events that had led up to his injuries. He described Jugo's sensory abilities, his objective to make himself known as the most dangerous man in the nations, and his ability to summon a demon, who had stated himself to only being a servant.

When wolf had given his full report, Danzo waved a hand, indicating that he may leave. Wolf left out the door he had come in from, still not having the energy to disappear as he and many other Root would.

If Wolf hadn't been able to even defeat Jugo's summon, then the chances weren't good that any of his agents would be able to. The man's goals of becoming a national threat would make him many powerful enemies though, so it may not be required to send even a single assassin after the man.

The biggest worry would be when Jugo eventually decided it was time to demonstrate his power to Konoha directly. Danzo couldn't decide if it was fortunate that Wolf hadn't been identified as a Konoha shinobi or not.

It was always assumed, unless ordered otherwise, that his Root agents conceal their loyalties. In this situation though, it may have been beneficial for Jugo to know who he'd attacked, so he wouldn't feel the need to demonstrate his power to Konoha directly.

At this point in time, making an agreement with the man would hold off any attacks on Konoha until he could figure something out with the Demons. He was aware of their status as a summon clan, but had never heard of them actually having a summoner.

Their home was far across the sea, almost twice the distance to Water Country. Wolf had already proven that brute force wouldn't be capable of causing the demons much harm, such an attempt would only result in the loss of his agents.

Infiltration and sabotage may have some success. Wolf had told him of his inability to use Tsukuyomi on the demon, but his use of Izanagi showed that the demons were not immune to all genjutsu.

Danzo planned on having Chameleon observe the younger Senju, but her recent report proved that she would be discovered eventually, and Hiruzen would not be pleased if he found Danzo was disregarding his orders.

With this new information though, Chameleon was the best suited to infiltrate Demon Country. Her main objective would be to sever the connection between Jugo and the Demon's, and if she couldn't do that then she would at least collect more information for when Jugo eventually became an enemy.

The more pressing issue was Orochimaru's involvement with Mito. He was aware that the Sannin had approached the girl while she was with friends, but hadn't been seen near them since. This could only mean he'd found something to occupy his time.

With the Hokage's new orders to secure the area around the temple that caused all this, Danzo would have a better chance at thwarting Orochimaru on that front at least. It was obvious that the man would make his way there eventually, especially with the orders Danzo knew Hiruzen was going to give his smartest student.

He wouldn't delude himself into thinking he could keep Orochimaru away from what he wanted forever. The man was resourceful and tenacious, and eventually would get what he wanted. He expected his men to keep the snake Sannin away for as long as possible, but they would fail inevitably while acting on defense, and it wasn't quite time to turn on Orochimaru yet.

He would have some of his own men research the tree, maybe even sabotage it to spoil any results Orochimaru might attain.

* * *

"If it's any consolation, Fukasaku thinks I'm over reacting," Jiraiya said, trying to calm his stressed leader. Hiruzen let out a deep sigh and sat back in his chair, trying to enjoy his pipe. It seemed like the only form of relief he had these days.

"I'm not as surprised as you seem to think Jiraiya," the village leader said. "I've always known that monsters roamed the land, now I just have proof."

"So you're not concerned at all?" Jiraiya asked incredulously.

"Don't be a fool," his teacher said bluntly. "Of course I'm concerned. For God's sake there is someone roaming the lands who was probably as strong or stronger than Senju Hashirama at one point. I only hope that he's grown a soft spot for Konoha considering you made peaceful contact with him. Not to mention his involvement with your student."

Jiraiya crossed his arms and looked out the window back towards the training ground he'd left a few minutes ago.

"Unless you think her loyalty is in question?" Hiruzen asked. Jiraiya took a moment before answering.

"No, I still believe she is the same as when she left the village, except for the obvious of course," the younger man replied. Hiruzen nodded, having expected the answer.

"Of course we don't know what Jugo's intentions are, but he's made an investment in Konoha's future, and I hope that means he sees us as allies. He has most likely also been weakened by said investment, considering the part Tsunade mentioned about his age."

"It was hard to get a read on the man. I wish I had been there when Mito woke up to see if he was any different." The door swung open and Tsunade walked in the room unannounced.

"What are you saying about my sister?" She asked.

"We were talking about Jugo actually, but I want to think it over before discussing the matter further," Hiruzen said, leaving no room for argument. He still hadn't softened up to his female student, and she seemed to notice. He began to shuffle through some papers on his desk. "I called you here for a different reason." He found the sheet he was looking for and held it out for a moment before she took it.

"Ah, the academy students," she said as unenthusiastically as possible. Hiruzen nodded.

"You have twenty-four hours to pick three of them," the Hokage said. "They will then take the early graduation exam, which the teachers have assured me any of the four will pass. Of course you will be giving them their genin exam, I'm sure they will do great. You are not, however, allowed to fail them," he said sternly.

"I figured," Tsunade said. She folded the piece of paper and tucked it in her cleavage. This didn't slip past Jiraiya's keen eyes and he looked positively jealous of the paper. "You have three seconds before I send you to the hot springs you love so much." Tsunade said.

Jiraiya looked her in the eyes confused. "Why the hot springs?" he said.

"Because it's on the far side of the village, and you can fly there with the crows," she said, ignoring the fact he'd technically already broken eye contact with her breasts.

"You mentioned summoning Fukasaku to help train Mito," Hiruzen said, obviously unamused by his students. "What kind of progress is she making?" Jiraiya looked away from the still glaring blond back to his sensei.

"All he really did before that conversation I mentioned was evaluate her abilities, and from what I could tell he hasn't even heard of someone like Mito. She is utterly failing at ninjutsu, but it looks like her affinity for senjutsu might surpass even the toad sages."

"I take it she won't be ready for the chunnin exams?"

"Not at all. She has raw power and might be able to get through the exam on that alone, but I think it'll take her a couple months before she can be considered chunnin material. She will be horribly unbalanced, but aside from her medical skills I think her performance will be similar to Tsunade's."

"Understandable. I expect your team to be in the next chunnin exam then. She will be a good candidate to demonstrate our power in Iwa." Hiruzen looked over at Tsunade. "I hope your team will be ready for the exam after that when we are the hosts. I expect I know one of the students you will accept because of his good chakra control. This is your chance to prove to everyone that having a medic on every team will not hinder us if they are trained correctly."

Tsunade just nodded at him, acknowledging her teachers request. They hadn't spoken of the matter specifically, but Tsunade knew what her sensei had done for her these last few days.

"I didn't want to bring this up," the Hokage said exasperatedly. "But I think it would be best to convey my suspicions to you both." He set his pipe down and looked them both in the eyes. "It pains me to say this, but I think you should both keep an eye out for your teammate. Since Mito's returned he's been acting oddly. More oddly than usual."

Both Tsunade and Jiraiya frowned at this, but for different reasons. Jiraiya opened his mouth to argue on his teammate's behalf, but closed it after he realized he didn't know what to say.

"I've noticed it also sensei," Tsunade said. "But what I find stranger is that I've only seen him around her once. He's been deliberately keeping his distance from her since then. You know how he is, and how he should be acting in this situation."

"He is avoiding attention, more so than usual. Which is why, in an effort to keep him occupied, I've send him on a mission that will keep him out of the village for a few weeks at least."

Tsunade nodded at this, obviously agreeing with her teacher's decision. She looked over at her teammate curiously.

"You're not going to jump to his defense?" she asked. Jiraiya let out a long sigh before shaking his head.

"I know just as well as you two that he's been avoiding Mito. It's true he never gave her any attention to begin with, but he should be acting more curiously than he is." He looked up at the Hokage. "What is his mission?"

"Our allies in Uzu have requested aid, and I've sent him with a single squad of Anbu. They are under his command, but I have also informed them I will be expecting them to report their observations on him." Jiraiya seemed to realize something at that moment.

"If he's as curious about Mito as we think he is then don't you think it would be a bad idea to send him in that direction? It would only take a day to move from the Land of Whirlpools to the temple location."

"I expect he will do just that," said Hiruzen. "And so I have tasked Danzo with monitoring and securing the location. I don't want to believe that Orochimaru will betray Konoha, but he will know Root when he sees them. Compromising their mission will be considered treason."

"Your leading him into a trap?" Jiraiya asked. "Don't you think it would be better to talk to him about his actions directly first?"

"I would appeal to his emotions if I felt that he had any," Hiruzen said honestly. "But unlike the two of you, I think the only one Orochimaru cares about anymore is himself. He will not stray from his goals; I am just trying to find out what those goals are."

"You really expect this to end in his betrayal?" Tsunade asked. Both she and Jiraiya realize how attached Hiruzen was to his old genin squad. His recent actions on Tsunade's behalf were proof of this.

"I truly wish I didn't, but Orochimaru has gained as much as he possibly could in the Konoha, and now our laws only hold him back. And we all know that what he values the most is his own personal power." Hiruzen gave the two a considering look.

"You sound like you've already found some evidence," Jiraiya guessed. There were a few moments of silence before Hiruzen spoke again.

"Unfortunately, I believe I have." He pulled open a drawer and pulled out a sealed folder and slid it across the desk towards his students. Jiraiya picked it up and started reading, with Tsunade reading over his shoulder. "As you'll find in that report, we discovered a hidden research laboratory outside the village yesterday. The Anbu are still going through most of it, and there is no direct evidence that suggests that Orochimaru is involved, but the materials all seem to be something he'd be interested in."

Jiraiya and Tsunade both made disgusted faces, having reached the same point in the documents at the same time.

"Human experimentation," Tsunade said incredulously. "You really think that Orochimaru is capable of this?" She sounded as though she was trying to convince herself he wasn't.

"Most of the subjects are missing people from the Land of Fire, but none from Konoha itself," Jiraiya added, as Tsunade had stopped reading to look up at the village leader. "Don't you think this could be an enemy plot to put a rift between us and him?"

Hiruzen nodded. "I considered that, but my intuition tells me that is not what's going on."

They all had to admit that the main point of research in the laboratory, the artificial implantation of bloodline techniques into human embryo, was something that Orochimaru would be interested in. There was even evidence of Senju Hashirama's cells and attempt, though unsuccessful, to revive Wood Release.

"I want you both to be aware of this because you know him best, but also because you will need to keep Mito under special protection. If this base was Orochimaru's, I don't think it is the last. Many of the experiments were failures, but that doesn't mean he's keeping his successes somewhere else."

"I'd like to believe that this couldn't be him," Jiraiya said forlornly, looking at the document.

"But you know this has his name written all over it," Tsunade finished. Jiraiya didn't answer, just closed the folder and returned it to Hiruzen.

"I take it he doesn't know you've found this lab yet?" Jiraiya asked instead. Hiruzen nodded.

"I wasn't going to send him until tomorrow morning, but I wanted time to prepare before any eventualities. If we are going to be losing one of our strongest shinobi, I at least want to be prepared for it." He gave Tsunade a telling look at this. She didn't say anything, but did look regretful.

"What do you want us to do?" Jiraiya asked, resolve clear in his voice.

"Tsunade. I want you to focus on your team during the day and protecting and training Mito at night. I'm sure she is still loyal to the village, but I want you to make sure there is not even a 1% chance she is more loyal to Jugo."

Tsunade gave her leader a confused look but Hiruzen held up a hand before she could ask.

"Jiraiya will give you the details in concerns to the conversation we were having when you entered."

The old man looked over to his white hair student next.

"Jiraiya. I want you to focus on training Mito and the rest of your team during the day. But at night I want you to search the surrounding area with an Anbu squad of your choice for any more hidden laboratories. Search within the village and everywhere within a 50km radius. Report any findings right away. I suspect we have between one and three weeks before Orochimaru returns, and we must be prepared for him to be aware of our actions during his absence. Dismissed."

Tsunade and Jiraiya both gave slight bows to their teacher and leader before exiting the room. It was going to be a busy couple of weeks.

* * *

AN:

Yes, Kakashi's mother is the one with the mask. I chuckled when I came up with that, as I'm unaware if its been done before. Sakumo may have some more parts in this story, but that section was mostly for the introduction of Kakashi. Also I wanted to say this: "I used to be a ninja like you, until I took a jutsu to the knee."

Here is the more serious part of the AN. Of course Mito doesn't have chakra any more, at least not in the way that every other ninja does, and you should realize that she never will have human chakra. Because of this I've decided to refer to it as chakra when it is within her body, because functionality it is very similar to normal human chakra. I will also be referring to as natural energy when it is outside the body, or there is a need for distinction.

It has come to my attention that I've misspelled Jugo's name through this entire fic so far(its supposed to be Juugo), and for a while I was planning on going back and change all the chapters, but as you've seen in this chapter he's practically an OC at this point, so I've decided to leave it.

Thanks for reading my story up to this point, please leave a review on what you think.


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